Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam
by DietBiohazard
Summary: Edward's life has been stuck in a constant downward spiral. Bedridden for two weeks is not high on his to-do list, and definitely not while having to train a young alchemist who thinks Ed is some kind of messiah. Brotherhood Centric, EdxRoy
1. Sola

**Hi. This is my first Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic, so I'm kind of hesitant putting it up. But I figure at least it's going to be read, rather than just sitting on my laptop gathering dust. Thanks so much, and I hope you like it. **

**This does contain slight Al and Winry bashing, and don't get me wrong, I love them both, but for the sake of the story, it had to happen. Also, there will be TWO OC's, but they will not be paired with anyone, and the main focus of the story will lie heavily with Edward, not any of the OCs. AND - One more thing, THIS IS EDxROY! If you don't like it, get over it and go somewhere else. **

**Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me. **

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><p>Ed ran a tired hand through his hair, the golden locks shifting down and over his shoulders, of which were heavy and tired. His legs ached with the amount of walking he'd done just to get to this point, and they ached at the notion of how much further they'd have to go. A sigh escaped his lips as the soft summer breeze brushed past his cheeks, but that did little to soothe his nerves.<p>

It'd been nearly two years since he'd been to Risembool. Two years too short if it were up to him, but he really had no choice in the matter as of right now. His leg was acting up, digging him in places he really didn't want shrapnel, making him aware of the fact he'd broken it in some way or another. Every time he went to another automail mechanic, they refused to touch it. Winry had such unique technology that no one dared to touch it, something that was both a blessing and a curse. This was the first time it'd broken in t he two years since their falling out.

That word held so much pain and anger for him. Fall out. There had been too much of that in his past, and it didn't seem that people were doing much to stop it. He had a fall out with the military, seeing as they didn't have much use for a state alchemist that couldn't use alchemy. He had a fall out with Winry, seeing as the whole no alchemy thing seemed to just make her happier than ever, while it made question his whole life. And Alphonse...he didn't even want to think about Alphonse.

The steady tremble of the train and the occasional sounding of the horn told Ed that his ride was slowly approaching, ready to take him to what he was sure was going to be three days of torture. Shifting on his uncomfortable seat, he winced as yet again, another nerve was caught by metal, sending a shock of pain up his spine. That was nothing compared to the torment of having to go back to the town he was born in.

Edward couldn't believe it when the train seats were more uncomfortable than the bench at the train station, something he was still complaining about even after he stepped off the train. Rubbing at the base of his spine, Ed limped forward and off the small station, holding a lone suitcase in his hand, his loose hair still brushing in the wind. The ride here had been much too short, the amount of time only giving him enough to choose his words to say to the others, without fear that he'd be thrown out before his leg was fixed.

The country air that used to soothe him was torment as he walked the familiar path. It was nothing like the air back on the settlement. Nearly seven months ago, Ed had found himself wandering the border of Ishvala, the construction of the building city could be heard even from there. He'd been welcomed by Scar and Miles, but he'd been uncomfortable, but unable to leave. Even now he was not looking forward to going back, even if he would once again be welcomed with open arms and smiles.

They were almost too kind, in such a harsh world.

The first sight of the Rockbell house brought back an onslaught of bad memories that left a bad taste in his mouth, and the sight of the lone child playing on the porch made him scowl. That must be Hohenheim, if the letter Pinako had sent him was accurate. Winry and Al's first, and she was already pregnant with the second.

"Hohenheim." The familiar voice of his brother broke through his resolve as he jerked to stare at the now open doorway, that tall frame standing out from the darkness, "Come inside."

"Hey, Alphonse." Ed started, trying to be the civil one as he stepped closer and closer to that house, his limp growing more prominent, as to why he didn't quite know. Wether it was the pain or the hopes that maybe it would strike a bit of sympathy with his completely unsympathetic brother, he didn't know.

His brother didn't answer him, instead choosing to usher the small blonde boy into the house, patting him on the head before stepping outside and closing the door behind him. If that wasn't a message to Edward, he didn't know what was. The air was thick and uncomfortable between them, a mutual dislike from both of them.

Al sighed, taking one step forward, his eyes hard and mean as he looked over at his brother, "Edward."

Ed shifted, wincing once more as his leg stabbed him again, "My leg is banged up, I was -."

"Winry's busy." Alphonse interrupted him before he even had a chance to finish, crossing his arms tightly over his chest, "She doesn't have time for wanderers with an addiction to trouble."

"C'mon." Ed sighed, rubbing down his hair tightly, shifting on the uneven pathway in front of the Rockbell house. Their conversation was strained and rude, something that didn't belong in the soft and kind atmosphere of the day around them.

Edward didn't dare look into Al's eyes, "I just need a tune up. I'll be out of here in a day or two."

"What part of 'she doesn't have time', don't you understand?" Al turned on the porch, moving back into his house, slowly turning his back to his brother, of which he was treating no better than a common intruder. Hell, Ed scoffed at himself as he watched his brother open the door to completely shut him out, Al probably would have treated an intruder better.

"Now, Alphonse." The harsh voice of Pinako Rockbell reached Edward even from inside the house, her voice soothing despite the glare it infused on Al's face, "Don't treat your brother like that. Edward, come on, get in here."

Edward had never been more agitated in his entire life. As he sat on the uncomfortable couch of Al and Winry's living room, clad only in his boxers, listening to the strained conversation going on in the kitchen, he'd never felt like punching something more. It wasn't his fault that no one would dare touch his automail, no matter where he went. This god-forsaken town was the last place he wanted to be, but be it either by the impending threat of Pinako Rockbell, or the fact that they didn't dare tamper with his automail, no one would work on his leg for him.

He only caught every other word from Winry and Al, but most of them were harsh, and consisted of various Ed bashing statements and insistences of him leaving. Pinako would have nothing of it, but both of the others were fighting against it full force.

He was suddenly glad that it was Pinako working on his automail, and not Winry. He'd be left with some deformity or, if his luck stood out, it'd be even worse than when he'd brought it here. The words continued, they grew louder and louder, almost to the point of screaming.

To repeat, Edward had never felt more agitated in his entire life.

A soft hand pressed against his unclothed ankle, making him almost jolt out of his seat, his heart racing a mile a minute as he whipped to look down at the small boy placed at the edge of the couch. Blue eyes stared up at him with intense curiosity, his lips pursed in a small frown as he regarded this stranger. He'd, no doubt, hardly been told about Edward. That look in his eyes wasn't of someone curious about someone they should know, it was a look of a child regarding an intruder. Because that's exactly what Edward was, in this home.

The fact that Alphonse had named the boy what he did lit a fire in Edward's soul that threatened to overtake him. He'd had conflicted feelings about the name, even before this child came to bare it. Now, it was just a constant reminder of loss, that name. Everything connected with it symbolized loss and anguish.

"Hohenheim." It was Winry. She'd barely spoken a word to him the whole time he'd been here. It wasn't an astounding feat, seeing as he'd done the same to her, but he would have at least expected a hello or maybe a insult. She drew her son away from Edward quickly, sending a scathing glare at him before walking with the boy out of the room.

Ed scoffed again, wiggling his leg stump in boredom and annoyance. He thanked his lucky stars that he didn't have an automail arm anymore, seeing as he didn't want to spend any more time here than necessary.

"Here." Edward glanced over softly at the voice, smiling when Pinako entered, holding his leg to her chest. She'd aged quite a bit from the last time he'd seen her. She had to use a cane to get around now, and the arthritis was getting worse. Sometimes she forgot the name of a certain tool, she'd mentioned while writing him, or maybe she'd forget what she ate for breakfast or if she'd worked on a certain piece of automail. She was aging, and they both knew it, but Pinako was never afraid. She still had that defiant and cocky smirk on her face.

"It's done earlier than expected, and that's not because I forgot something." She walked over to him slowly, his leg in her arms not allowing her the use of her cane. Setting herself on the stool next to Ed's stump, she sighed in relief, "These dang legs of mine are already going out."

Edward didn't have the heart to do more than chuckle, his hands clenching in remorse.

"So, how have you been, these last two years?" Pinako started, reaching in with steady hands to tweak and adjust Ed's port, being careful of every nerve end.

Edward laughed, leaning his head back on the couch, "You should know, granny. I send you enough letters to take down a rainforest."

"Letters are one thing, Ed." She leaned in to have a better look at the sensitive nerve ends that the broken automail had been rubbing against, her brow furrowing in concern. She glanced up at him momentarily with her smirk, "But I haven't seen you in two years and I want to know how you've been doing without the fancy editing and proofreading that comes with letters."

Ed glared at the ceiling with a groan, cursing himself for ever feeling bad for this old bat. Taking a deep breath, he sighed, "Ishval is still under construction, but they passed a bill, got Scar and Miles some more funding. They're even building me a house, if you can believe it."

"Miles is the man from Briggs, right?" Pinako questioned softly, gently reaching in to tweak some of the nerve ends carefully, "That's nice of them."

Ed clenched his teeth in pain as she continued to prod and poke at him, spending the most amount of time right around the sensitive area. He sighed as the pain faded, but his hands stayed clenched.

"Why..." Pinako pulled back a bit, reaching up and wiping at her brow with the back of her shirt, peering at Edward through her spectacles, "How did this happen?" She sighed deeply, sadly, heart-breakingly, "You two...you two spent years together, searching for the philosophers stone, and you just let all that go?"

"The feeling was mutual." Ed couldn't look at her anymore. It hurt him too, the way that all of his and Al's time together went through the roof. He thought at that time that nothing could break them apart. They'd been through anything and everything together. Nothing could break the love they felt for each other.

But, like he was with many things, Edward was wrong.

Edward was never as relieved to get on a train as when he plopped onto that wooden seat at Risembool station. His leg felt lighter, the loss of the pain taking a certain weight off his shoulders. His small bag of clothing was close to his side, and the sun was just barely setting on the horizon. The soft warmth did wonders for his nerves, and he was almost forty percent certain he'd fall asleep at some time on this trip back to Ishval.

He could still feel Pinako's gaze on his back as he walked away, but he didn't bother turning around to look back at her. He didn't belong there, and she knew it as much as he did. She wanted him to try and fix things, make things right, but he couldn't bring himself to try. Not when he knew it wouldn't work.

As the train jerked to life to travel the some odd miles to the newly built Ishval station, he went over his various plans in his head. The last few years had been eventful. True to his word, he searched the west, learning all he could. It'd taken nearly a year and a half, but he'd walked from Mid-Aerugo to lower Creta, he'd even made it to Drachma. It took that long to make him realize that no matter where he went, what he learned, it would never be enough. During all his travels, he couldn't bring himself to stay in one place for more than three days, and his chest was always empty.

He'd attempted to settle down, and that thought even made him laugh. He'd gone to Ishval to try and find a place for himself, for some cynical redemption of his life, going to the place that was so war-torn, just like himself.

"Sir."

Ed jumped as he was started from his slumber, shaking his head of the strange thoughts of his dreams. He glanced at the woman to his side, her tray of various snacks and foods looking very inviting as she smiled kindly down at him.

"A snack?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

Edward laughed, seating himself up a bit further, his eyes glancing quickly over the display of options. He gave her a smile, before reaching into his pocket to pull out a spare coin, "chocolate pastry, please?"

She nodded, taking his coin and handing him one of the delectable looking pastries, smiling softly before questioning once more, "Would you like some coffee with that, sir?"

Ed couldn't hold back the twitch of annoyance, and his limbs tensed. He had an unhealthy dislike for coffee seeing as most liked to put milk in it, and anything with a connection to that disastrous white liquid left a bad taste in his mouth.

"No." He said shortly with a twitch of his brow, turning to look back out the window as he took a defiant bite of the crisp and soft pastry. It was quite good. He heard the small trolley the woman was pushing cart forward, and her soft voice ask another patron. He felt only slightly guilty and spared her a glance.

What got his attention instead was the boy. There was a teenage boy sitting there, by himself on the rather empty train, looking like there wasn't any problem with the situation at all. And as he politely declined the woman's offer, the boy turned back to his book. He looked almost content with being completely alone.

Edward sighed again, shaking his head of his absurd thoughts, choosing to munch the rest of his pastry before flopping to his side, curling his arm under his head and bringing his knees up. The warmth of the sun was warming his skin, and his tired body was fully willing to fall into a complete and deep sleep.

A soft thunk woke Edward, his eyes adjusting to the darkness that was now around him. The train was still gently careening down the tracks, making him yawn deeply at the movement, and his body ache from the awkward position. He glanced around in slight curiosity to find the source of the sound, when he saw his bag hanging half off the seat, his various belongings scattered across the ground.

"Damn..." He groaned, wiling himself to get up and gather his things.

"Are you Edward Elric?"

Sitting himself up, Ed looked over curiously, seeing that same boy, but this time kneeling next to Ed's scattered things, holding up a book. Edward's old alchemy book, something that even now he couldn't bring himself to let go of. Just like his pocket watch with the etching of 'don't forget' in the cover, this book was a constant reminder of what he'd lost...and why he'd lost it.

Ed chuckled, reaching down tiredly to gather his things, glancing at the curious boy for just a second, "The one and only."

Gently folding his clothing and stuffing it in his bag, a yawn tore from his throat again. Glancing out the window, he sighed with a small smile, the wide open planes spreading out around the train, the moon perched perfectly in the sky, surrounded by millions of stars. He quite liked the view, and his nap combined with it, he was feeling better by the second. Yawning again, Ed smacked his bag a couple times, ready to use it as a pillow for his sleep. He turned to the boy again, ready to take back his book, when those wide, wide green eyes met him.

"You're...you're really him?" His breathy whisper barely reached Edward's ears, his hands shaking as he held the book tightly in his hands, his knuckles already turning white, "You're Edward Elric?"

"Last time I checked." Edward couldn't say he was really in the mood to talk to this kid, but he felt something in him spark when he saw the boy's hopeful look, and he couldn't help but smile lightly, raising a brow, "Who's asking?"

"Oh!" The boy jumped excitedly, getting to his feet quickly, a heated blush already covering his cheeks as he surged forward with a jerk to hand Ed the book, "Frayne! Giovanni Frayne!"

Edward laughed at the name, taking the book softly, reaching in to stuff it into one of his inner pockets on the jacket he was wearing. A long yawn tore out of him as he turned back to his makeshift pillow, ready to tuck back down, "Well, nice to meet you, Gio."

Plopping on his side, he found the leather of his bag warm and soft, just enough to make his sleep-faded mind sing. Ed sighed, nuzzling in and letting out a long breath, sleep already overcoming him.

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><p>Ishval was a peaceful place, even in the midst of their reconstruction. Their people had all come to help, so there was a healthy settlement started. They were no longer under the government watch, spare for Miles, so they were able to laugh and work together peacefully. The air was clear here, and there was no longer the overwhelming feeling of blood-stained memories hovering over the ground. They were never forgotten, but they were not stopping the people of Ishval from moving forward.<p>

They had a few buildings up already, but work was very slow, and it was nothing of it's former glory. When Edward stepped through the middle of what would have been he main street of Ishval, he was greeted by many lining the road in various tents. Stretching his back and taking a deep breath, Edward glanced over the tents and construction equipment to find that familiar military uniform. He needed to tell Miles and Scar that he was back.

He also needed to tell them that he wasn't staying.

"Mr. Edward!"

Ed looked over quickly, recognizing the voice of one of the Ishvalans that had been helping with construction. He wasn't so good with names, but this boy was one of the ones who was in the forefront of military cooperation, sticking around Miles quite a bit, soaking in all the knowledge he could.

Ed smiled, raising a single hand in greeting, choosing not to speak purely due to the fact that he still didn't know this man's name.

The boy slowed to a jog in front of Ed, smiling widely as he clapped the other on the shoulder. His wide red eyes were full of joy and ambition, and as he looked at Ed, they were determined like his had been, "Mr. Miles and Mr. Scar were wondering when you'd find your way back. They're in the main building talking to a military rep, about getting a bit more military help with rebuilding."

"Mustang?" Edward inquired, raising an eyebrow as he made his way down the familiar streets leading to the main building, of which Scar and Miles were using as a main office or headquarters.

The boy (Edward really wished he remembered his name) shook his head with a chuckle, "Nah. Not him. Some other guy, not alchemist. Major General Mustang is off in the South dealing with something down there, on the border of Aerugo."

Ed sighed, yet again, wondering just what he'd have to go through now. Mustang was the only one he felt comfortable dealing with in the military, after everything that had happened. The general brunt of the conversation with anyone other than Mustang was why he left the military, and how he should come back. They were still trying to get the manpower to fill the hole he'd left in the proverbial alchemical force that was central.

As Edward knocked at the door of the main building, he glanced over towards the sky. The clouds were rolling in, dark and ominous, taunting him for his inability to stay here in Ishval. He wanted to, stay and help with construction and military cooperation, but he just couldn't. If he just had his alchemy, he'd be able to help these people so much more. Production would be double, or even triple what it was now. He couldn't help but think that every time he saw these people start to build a new house. Scar was helping alchemically, but the man was still hesitant, even after all these years, to use his alchemical reconstruction arm. That meant work was slow, and he only helped in dire needs.

"Edward." Ed sighed happily as Miles greeted him at the door, the man's pleasant smile showing Ed that this was just a nice conversation him and Scar were in, not another military official trying to force authority down their throats. Miles held open the door and ushered Ed inside, "We've been looking forward to your return."

Scar was donned in a Ishvalan robe and wrapping, his long hair falling down the back of the chair. He was no longer ashamed to show his arms, as they were bore to the world, his eyes still hard yet they had softened considerably over the years. He even smiled at Edward as he entered, shifting to stand up and greet the other.

"Edward, we were wondering when you'd make it back." His deep voice shifted through the air as Ed went to meet him, patting him on the shoulder in time as Scar did the same, "How is your leg?"

"Well, Winry refused to see me." Ed admitted with a sigh, smiling nervously, "But that's alright. The feeling was partially mutual, and Pinako fixed my leg up good as new."

"That is unfortunate." Scar let his face fall to that familiar frown as he turned back toward the other man in the room, stepping back to allow Edward room to move forward and introduce himself. Scar stayed standing as he gestured toward the man, "This is Colonel Yonkers, he's here to do a check up."

"Hello, Mr. Elric!" The man stood firm, reaching out excitedly and grasping Edward's hand before he even had a chance to offer it, shaking Ed's hand vigorously. His face was bright in a smile, and even as he let go of Edward's hand, he stayed standing, "Major General Mustang would have come himself, but as you probably heard, he had some work to do in the south."

"Yeah, I heard." Edward smiled kindly, but in all truths, he was in no mood to smile. He just wanted to go to his designated tent and sleep, sleep a long time before he told Miles and Scar of his plans to leave.

Ed turned toward Scar and Miles, shifting from foot to foot and smiling tiredly, "I just came to say I'm back. Seems like construction has been going full force."

"Yes, but we were wondering when you'd return." Miles spoke calmly, his fierce red eyes uncovered from his usual dark spectacles, staring deep into Edward's, as most Ishvalan's did, "You are a strong pair of arms, Edward. You keep everyone on their feet and keep their hearts light, we figured that out not a day after you left. Everyone was wondering of your return."

Edward laughed, reaching up and rubbing at the back of his head, a soft blush covering his cheeks, "I'm honored really. I'll try not to leave for too long, next time."

It slipped out before Edward could stop it, and his heart beat in agony and guilt. He couldn't fathom the thought of having to tell them that he was leaving, the look on everyones faces. Once again, he would be disappointing someone, but he just couldn't stay. Something in his gut told him he needed to leave, he didn't understand it, but it was almost like this feeling had been in him his whole life.

Scar smirked, clapping Edward on the shoulder once more, before Edward thanked Colonel Yonkers once more. As he stepped back out in the sun, Ed took another deep breath and smiled, feeling a bit lighter.

"What was that about?" The boy that Edward still didn't remember the name of met him again as he stepped out of the building, holding a barrel of water and a few two-by-fours on his shoulder, his brows raised in curiosity, "Was that Colonel guy nice?"

"Yeah...nice." Ed laughed nervously, leading the way away from the building and toward the row of tents his was located in. Him and six other men, Scar and MIles included, still stayed in the tents. There were enough newly built houses for the families and elderly to stay in, and they were almost done with the rest of them.

The boy smiled, slowing to a stop, "Well, it's certainly good to have you back, Mr. Edward. I'm looking forward to working with you again tomorrow."

Edward smiled, raising a single hand to wave a goodbye to the other, watching as the boy ran off into the construction site, his hopes high and his smile beaming. It almost made Ed feel better, and as he reached back to undo the tie on his braid, he smiled. Running his fingers through the sweat-damp strands, shaking them loose from one another, the air chilling his heated neck. He did feel better, as long as he wasn't in Risembool.

Standing in only a white tank top and loose work shorts, Ed took a deep breath before swigging the rest of his water. It was midday, and they were nearing completion of another house. The foundation was down, and they just needed to add the final concrete to the walls and ceiling, and this would be a new house for someone to sleep in tomorrow night. The Ishvalans liked their simple structure houses, much unlike the townhouses back in Central. Two walls and a roof were all that they needed, and they were insistent on keeping their tradition alive.

Edward wasn't complaining any, it made production faster due to the simplification of the houses. The boy, of which Ed finally figured out his name was Saul, was jumping for joy next to him, his cheerful disposition never failing to rub off on Ed. The others were already starting on the wooden structure of the house next to the one they were finishing up, and it looks as if that would be the last house on this row.

"Edward." He turned and looked, reaching up to wipe at his brow, a wide and youthful smile finding it's way to his face as he saw Scar coming up from behind them, a rather happy look on his face considering how neutral it was, "Very nice job. I wasn't expecting this much to be done in such short a time."

"Well, that's what you get when you work with Edward Elric." He smiled proudly, placing his hands on his hips and looking back over his work.

Scar glanced down at Edward's automail curiously, "Hows the wrap? Did it burn anything today?"

Ed shook his head as if he was expecting the question, which he was. Considering how many times he'd burned someone unintentionally on his automail, it was a miracle they didn't force him to wear longer pants. Looking down at his automail, of which was wrapped multiple times in white cloth that had once been a scarf, Ed laughed, "Not today. Finally got it wrapped enough. I'm running out of apologies for burns."

"I was not merely talking about others." Scar reached and pulled up Ed's shorts by the right leg, ignoring the boy's gawking blush, to look at the base of Ed's automail, frowning at the reddening skin, "You need to be careful of your port, Edward. The skin can burn where it is against the metal."

"I know, I know." Edward sighed, stepping away from Scar with a groan. As evil as the man had been when they were on opposite sides, he could sure act like a mother hen at times. Edward would have never believed it if he had been told, but Scar was actually worrying about him, and it was kind of freaking him out in the slightest.

Turning to walk with Scar back to the main building, thoroughly looking forward to lunch. If there was one thing that he truly appreciated about being here day in and day out, it was the Ishvalan food. He was really going to miss that when he left. He scoffed at himself as he fell into a steady stride next to Scar. He still hadn't told Scar or Miles about that yet.

"Hey, Mr. Edward!"

Ed looked up toward the top of a finished building, seeing Saul leaning over the top. Edward squinted, placing his hands on his hips and raising a brow, "How'd you get up there? Come down and get some lunch!"

"In a sec." Saul laughed, his bright eyes wide in delight, even as he leaned over the top of the tall building, "Some of the concrete is coming loose up here, they needed some help patching it up."

"What do you need?" Ed called up, squinting in the sun, before turning back to Scar. He saw MIles coming up the road, saying something to the other man, donned in his full military garb. He must be going somewhere, Edward mused to himself, leaning forward to get a better look. Groaning to himself as he saw Scar turn off the path with Miles, he knew that somehow he'd be involved with whatever was going on. He cursed his rotten luck, wishing that he'd left the day before. Screw guilt, he just wanted to get out of here before he got pulled into any more military crap.

Yawning loud and wide, Edward reached up to rub at his sweat soaked skin, groaning at the heat.

"Mr. Edward!"

He groaned again, looking up with an annoyed expression, "What?"

He didn't even get the word out before the first chunk of concrete collided with the side of his head. Gravity pulled him down, and even as his head screamed in pain, he felt something slam against his torso and heard the crunch of gravel under his chest as he landed.

Okay, don't panic. Edward groaned as he let his eyes slide open painfully, his whole body alight with pain. He didn't know exactly what was wrong, but all he knew was that he was frightened. It was astonishing how weak he felt, lying on the ground, trying to gain purchase of what exactly had happened.

"...war...ed...wa..."

He groaned as he saw the unfocused and fuzzy outlines of those around him, just barely making out the images of Scar and Miles. He groaned as his head throbbed, his vision was red because of the blood, and if he tried to move, his whole body would churn.

He saw Scar turn to another, yelling something loudly, his eyes wide, his hands covered in red. Miles was holding Ed's chest, screaming something, sweat pouring down his face as he clenched his teeth. Ed groaned again, his vision blurring out, fading and fuzzing. With one final groan, Edward completely blacked out, hearing the yells for help and the feeling of blood.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading thus far. I'm afraid it might be kind of boring...but, eh, what'cha gonna do. I really like the slow moving pace. :) If I get a couple reviews, I'll upload another chapter. I already have quite a bit of it written. <strong>


	2. Discipule

**Thank you everyone for the nice reviews! I'm so glad that you like this and have put it on your alerts. I hope that, yet again, people don't think this is too slow moving, but if there's one thing I hate, it's a story that goes to quickly. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this fic! Oh! And, just in case anyone was confused, this is set a few years after the end of Brotherhood, so Edward is 20-years-old.**

**Enjoy! :)**

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><p>"Well, Mr. Elric, good morning! Isn't this a pleasant surprise, we weren't expecting you up for anther two days at least."<p>

The second that Edward woke up from his pain hazed slumber, he immediately wished he could go back to sleep. The last thing he was looking forward to when waking up was a overly-cheery voice coming from an overly-cheery girl, who was smiling widely and happily, not to mention holding a needle poised precariously over Edward's right arm.

The sun was bright filtering in through the blinds, and the soft city view beyond the glass told Edward that he was in central. He figured as much, seeing as if he was injured enough to be in a hospital, they'd take him to one in central. What he couldn't remember, though, was how he got here.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Elric?" The girl leaned over him, checking his bandages and the IV in his arm, he glared particularly hard at that. She smiled as she stood up straight again, reaching swiftly over to a tray at her side, snatching up yet another needle.

"I feel like shit." Edward shifted around on the bed, trying to wiggle his fingers and toes in order to decipher the damage, though it didn't do much seeing as he could hardly move much, "What happened?"

"I'll go get your friends." She set the needle off to the side, momentarily missing the seething glare Edward was sending at her, the mere thought of her injecting anything into him through that thing making him quiver. She smiled as she turned back to him, "I can't give you anything for the pain just yet, seeing as you got quite the bad bump on the head. Try not to fall back asleep, okay?"

Edward closed his eyes regardless, still trying to wiggle his fingers. His head pounded terribly, and his stomach was rolling around inside him, sending nauseous waves up his throat. He felt like he was going to blow chunks, but he wasn't sure he could do much more than lay there like a dead fish.

His arm was broken, he knew that much. When he opened his eyes, he could see the white fabric wrapped around his wrist and lower arm out of the corner of his eye. The pressure of the blanket over his chest felt like a million tons, and it was hard to take in a full breath. Blinking a couple times, Edward licked his dry lips and tried yet again to survey his damage. His right leg was unharmed as far as he knew, seeing as he could wiggle his toes. He tried to move his right, but it was a usual feeling of not knowing it was there, so he wasn't sure if it had come under any damage or not.

Shifting around with a pained grunt, he tried to sit up, his chest burning. He could do that much by himself, he resigned, as he reached back with his good hand and shifted around the pillow behind him. His head was throbbing, he felt sicker than he ever had in his entire life, and his body was stiff, but he still forced himself to get into a seated position.

The soft click as the door opened alerted Edward, although he had been previously staring out the window. It had been years since he'd stepped back in central, for why he didn't know. He felt as though he was almost intimidated by it, it's reputation to gather horrible atrocities. The sun was high in the cloudless sky, yet Ed had never felt more uncomfortable. Central wasn't a place of good memories, and Edward tended to stay away from those types of places.

"Edward..." Scar was the first one to enter the room, something that shocked Edward to no end. He was expecting maybe Saul or Mustang...hell, to tell the truth, he wasn't expecting anyone. For the most part he couldn't say he had many friends anymore, ones that weren't in far off countries or on the other side of Amestris.

Scar had a relieved look on his face, be it wether for the fact that Edward was sitting up and not dead, or otherwise. He strode forward, his brows furrowed slightly and he slowed to a stop at the edge of Edward's bed. True to his assumptions, Saul peered in after Scar with a bashful look, his face soothed into a smile when he saw Edward sitting up, and he soon scampered in.

And, much to Edward's surprise, Alex Armstrong followed suit, his eyes bright and sparkling as he saw his young friend.

"Edward, how are you feeling?" Alex sauntered forward, his deep voice only marred slightly in concern as he crossed his arms over his chest, "When I heard you were transferred to Central Hospital, I rushed over as soon as I could."

"I contacted him." Scar spoke deeply, his voice slow and calculated as usual, "Brigadier General Armstrong has made the arraignments for you to stay here."

Edward looked toward Armstrong with a smile, the tall muscled man a sight for sore eyes. He hadn't seen the man since nearly three years ago. Edward had stayed in central for a while after the incident with Father, with everything. He'd stayed to take care of the mess he'd made, to help take care of the mess they'd made of central. Hell, it was a mess of Amestris in general. Olivier Armstrong had stayed with her brother for a while before returning to Briggs, but Edward had left nearly half a year after everything, and Amestris was almost back to it's former glory when he had. It'd been nearly three and a half years since then.

"It's been a while." Edward mused, leaning back on the pillows propped behind him, smiling kindly at the familiar face. He would have inquired more on how Armstrong had been doing here in Central, but he wasn't sure he could speak any more than a few words at a time. His chest was less constricted now that he'd managed to get into a seated position, but it was still difficult to draw breath.

"How are you feeling, Edward?" Scar asked again, taking in the sight of the numerous bandages, "Do you remember what happened?"

"No." Edward let out a breath, his teeth clenching as his head throbbed particularly badly, "I feel like shit, honestly."

"There..." Saul interrupted, dipping his head low in shame, his hands playing nervously at the hem of his shirt as he refused to meet Edward's gaze, "There was some loose concrete on a building that I wanted you to help with. Chunks of it fell..."

"Oh..." Edward sighed, glancing at his injuries once more, now that he had a slightly better view of his body, he could assess the damage a bit more. His left arm was broken and in a bandage, that much he already knew. His chest was thick with wrapping, probably what was causing his labored breathing, that and something was probably messed up with his lungs. With one final sigh, he glanced at his left leg, already expecting the dip in the fabric that indicated his automail was gone.

"Your automail...it was destroyed." Scar answered smoothly, his voice still monotonous as he shifted around the too clean hospital room. It was obvious he was uncomfortable, he disliked being in central almost as much as Edward did, and he clearly wanted to get back to his work in Ishval. Scar continued, "We tried to salvage what we could, but there were many pieces."

"It's okay." Edward laughed, his brows knitting together unconvincingly, "It's not like it hasn't happened before."

Scar shifted momentarily again, before nodding and training his eyes on Edward, "Miles is keeping an eye on Ishval, but I'm afraid I must..."

"Go." Edward laughed, shrugging and leaning back again, his lips quirked in a smirk and a brow raised, "You came to check up on me, but now you need to get back."

"Thank you, Edward. I wish you a pleasant recovery." Scar bowed deeply at the man, before turning and quickly walking out. He paused momentarily in the doorframe, resting a hand on the wood and glancing back at Ed, his brows softly knitted together, "Either I or Miles will come and check up regularly."

Ed raised his good hand in a wave goodbye, "Looking forward to it."

Saul shifted awkwardly, looking out after Scar as if he wanted to bolt out after him. Gulping, he turned back to Edward, his face alight, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Edward! I'll make it up to you when you get back!"

And he bolted as well, leaving Edward solitary once again, spare for Armstrong, who had watched the whole exchange with an amused eye. Turning toward Edward once more, he bowed slightly, "I'm sorry, Edward, but I must make my exit as well. I look forward to talking with you later."

"You better visit me later." Ed said with a wave as Armstrong left.

And he was alone again. Alone with his bandages and a stump of a leg. No one else was going to come visit him, and he was stuck sitting there in a white, sterile hospital room with a window as his only entertainment.

Edward always got antsy when he was made to wait. He didn't like waiting for anything, sitting and letting his body rest was something that made a nagging feeling grow in the back of his mind. He was barely able to sleep a full night or sit in a train without getting up to move. Ever since he'd brought back Al's body from the other side of the gate, it was as if he had enough energy for three lifetimes. Of the time that he'd spend sleeping before, he was now up and walking and doing things. He'd been told once that it was because of Al's theory that he was supplying his younger brother's body with nutrition while it was on the other side of the gate, and now that he had all the energy for himself, his body didn't know what to do with it.

He didn't know how long he could sit in this hospital bed without...without something to do. Someone to talk to. He'd go stir crazy.

"Mr. Edward!"

Edward froze in his seat, quickly whipping his head around to stare at the entrance of the hospital room. The voice was loud enough to alert every patient on the floor, the shock on the kid's face was probably enough to shake mountains. Ed knew this was a horrible exaggeration, but the kid's chest was heaving in exertion, and he looked as though he'd ran miles.

Edward gaped at that familiar head of dirty blonde hair, gulped at those wide green eyes, and immediately remembered the boy from the train. Only one person had ever looked so excited and terrified in one moment.

"Hi...?" Edward tried, the only thoughts going through his head were questions of why this boy was here, and how on earth he'd gotten here. Sure, he'd had people recognize him before, it was given with how popular he'd gotten over the years, but it wasn't often that people went out of their way to find him.

The boy ran in on his unsteady legs over to the edge of the bed nearly colliding with it in a desperate attempt to get to near Edward, his wide eyes taking in everything from the bandage wrapped around Ed's head to the dip in the blanket that used to be Ed's leg.

"Mr. Edward!" The boy eventually managed to look Edward in the eye, his own fierce and determined, his breath coming out in heaving puffs, "There's something I really need to ask you."

Edward sighed, running a hand though his hair tiredly, not having the patience to deal with a child who just had a spark of hero worship on a train. Turning back to the kid, he sighed, "Listen, whatever your name is-"

"Giovanni." The boy answered happily, leaning forward excitedly.

Edward rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Listen, Gio, whatever you want, can't you come back tomorrow or something? I'm not -"

"Please!" Giovanni leaned forward, his hands fisting in the fabric of the blanket over the bed, "Let me be your apprentice!"

Edward gulped, his eyes wide as a short chuckle broke out of his throat, "What?"

"Please, Mr. Elric, let me be your apprentice! I need to learn more alchemy, I need to learn all I can." Gio nodded, "I've heard stories of you, Mr. Elric! You've helped so many people, you're the greatest alchemist in Amestris!"

Edward smirked, raising a brow in amusement, despite the fact that the boy's words cut into him like a knife. He had been, at one time, all that the boy was saying. He was a great alchemist, and while he wasn't conceited enough to say that he was the greatest in Amestris, he had been proud of his skills, proud of himself. But that was a very long time ago, and Ed found it hard to think about without overwhelming sadness.

"You've heard stories?" Edward mused, his amusement fading softly as he smiled with a sad note to his lips, his brows drawing down, "You must've heard a lot, but not enough, Gio." He sighed, shaking his head and looking deep into the child's eyes, "I'm not the one you're looking for."

Ed smiled again, raising a brow, waiting for Giovanni to get up and make his exit. It would be lonely without the energetic kid in here, and he would have to wait a while for another visitor, but at least there would be a smile on his face. This kid's determination was infectious.

"But you are!" Giovanni stood up straight, brows tight, that determination that Edward was so fond of glowing at full force, "I know what happened, Mr. Elric! But I don't care! You can still teach me. You can tell me all you know, all I need to know about alchemy. Please!"

"No." Edward sighed, realizing that it wasn't going to be that easy to get rid of this kid. Didn't the little brat know that it was near to impossible to teach alchemy without the actual ability to use it? Sure, he remembered everything, down to the last formula and equation, but that didn't mean he could show it. Ed tried again, "You don't understand. I don't have the ability to show you how to use alchemy. It's impossible."

"That's just it!" Giovanni yelled, making Edward wonder if a nurse would come in wondering what the ruckus was, "I don't want you to show me how to use alchemy, I want you to teach me. Tell me how to use it, tell me everything, I'll learn."

This kid was about as determined as he was. He could still remember kneeling in front of his own teacher, the rain pouring around him and his brother, the mud sloshing all around them. All he could remember was wanting it so badly, the knowledge that she obviously had. He would have done anything, he would have sat in that mud for hours on end, just to learn a fraction of what she knew.

"I just..." Edward sighed, leaning back against the pillows, a sudden fatigue weighing down his shoulders. His head was throbbing again, his chest and stomach were churning, but his breath came a bit easier. His fingers tingled, his arm throbbed in pain, and yet, he smiled.

He shrugged, turning his head to Giovanni again, his smile soft yet filled with something the boy couldn't figure out. Ed closed his eyes,

"Okay."

* * *

><p>Alex Louis Armstrong had conflicted feelings when he heard that Edward Elric was back in central. The boy had always been a close friend, they'd been through quite a bit together in the past few years, and Alex knew that Edward was always someone he could trust. He was excited when he heard that Edward was back in central, he could just imagine all the things that he and Edward could talk about. But when the word 'hospital' came from a lower officer's mouth, it was then that his emotions became conflicted.<p>

"I've been trying to contact that mechanic friend of yours." Armstrong murmured as he moved a chess piece, his whole concentration not in the game and more on the boy he was sitting across from. He couldn't really call Edward that now, could he? There was not a boy sitting across from him, but a man. Edward must be almost twenty by now, reaching the end of his teen years.

Edward scoffed, rubbing his chin in thought, staring down at the wooden chess pieces. He might've been a bit more invested in this game than Armstrong was, but he still felt a groan come to his throat when he heard Armstrong say those words, "Try is a hopeful word. Winry wouldn't come help me even if I was on the brink of death." He moved a piece to the side, smiling triumphantly.

Armstrong nodded sadly, looking at Edward with a look of concern, "I heard about that. Are you sure she wouldn't come to make you a new leg?"

"Positive. But this is a good chance to just get a new mechanic." The thought left a bad taste in his mouth, but it was true. Reaching up to scratch absently under the bandage over his head, he then glanced nervously up at Armstrong, "What's been going on in Central?"

Armstrong couldn't say he didn't appreciate the change of subject, "Things had been going well, Edward." He nodded, reaching forward to move a piece, "I've been promoted to Brigadier General, and the work as been hard, but rewarding. I've had to deal with a few uprisings, and some border trouble, but it has been much calmer than a few years ago." He smirked, and he smiled with an extra twinkle, "We have you to thank for that."

"Only partially." Edward couldn't hold back the blush over his cheeks, and he murmured a soft 'check' as he moved a piece, "I'm relieved. Mustang has has been busy as well, I haven't seen him in quite a while."

"Yes, Roy definitely has his hands full. But he's changing things...he's changing Amestris." Armstrong nodded, a note of pride in his voice at the mention of his good friend. A comfortable silence grew between them, and the larger man took this chance to plan out his next move. Smirking when he slid a piece over, he glanced up again at the other, "So, how have you been doing, Edward?"

"Well. I've been doing very well." Edward answered with a large smile, "I've been helping with the rebuild of Ishval, and it's been very productive."

"That's great, Edward." Armstrong practically glowed with happiness, the thought that after everything, Edward didn't let the circumstances get him down.

Edward chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Well...and I got an apprentice."

Armstrong chuckled, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest, raising a single brow, "How is that going to work out?"

"I don't know..." Edward moved forward, reaching out to grasp at one of the wooden chess pieces, before he paused in his movement, glancing up at the other with a devious smirk. Armstrong stilled, his eyes wide as he recognized that look in the younger man's eyes. That look never meant anything good, and as much as Armstrong trusted Ed, that look never failed to send a shiver down Armstrong's spine.

"Armstrong...could you do me a favor?"

* * *

><p>Edward sat on the edge of his bed, his left arm now in a tougher, sturdier bandage, keeping him from moving it. His leg was still a lowly stump, but Armstrong was on the lookout for the best automail mechanic in Amestris, or so he said. It was enough to look forward to, and Edward could live with no leg for a while, seeing as he was going to be bedridden for the next few weeks.<p>

An alchemy book rested open on his legs, and he'd been absorbed in it for the better part of an hour. He'd read it many times before, but it never failed to entertain him. It was an aged and worn alchemy book, written in old English, and Edward could only take a guess at how old it actually was. It was written near the beginning of the alchemic world, right when people realized these powers they could use. It was thousands upon thousands of years ago, but Edward found endless amounts of fascination from the ideas in this text. The researcher was so curious about alchemy, yet so naive about it's power.

There was a soft knock at the door, making Edward glance up momentarily, curiously, wanting to get back to his book. He smirked when he saw Giovanni standing there, his hand resting gently on the doorframe, his eyes wide and excited, "Are we going to start my training today, teacher?"

Edward laughed a bit at the word. He'd never thought that he'd be called that; 'teacher'. If there was one thing he never thought he'd be good enough for, it was teaching people. He never particularly wanted to, anyway, so it was a surprise to him when Giovanni addressed him as such.

But he shook his head, closing the book with a soft snap and reaching over, placing it on a stack of books next to his bed. There were many of them, stacks upon stacks of books, all stacked high. Armstrong had pulled through on his promise, plus some. Edward had asked for a few books from Central library, maybe ten or twenty on alchemy, he hadn't expected the near sixty books splayed around him. Well, Armstrong never did anything halfway.

"Not yet, Gio. Not yet." Edward yawned, absently glancing over his shoulder at the sunrise. It was early in the morning, and the sun was just barely starting to peek over the trees. Perfect.

Ed turned back to Giovanni and leaned forward on a stack of books, resting his chin on his fist, "How old are you, Gio?"

Gio walked forward, taking this as a invitation into the room, and took a seat on a lower stack of books directly in front of Edward, his hands immediately folding in his lap, "I'm thirteen."

Ed nodded, taking the time to glance at the boy. He knew nothing about Gio, and unlike when he and Al started training with Izumi, he actually wanted to know about the kid. If he was going to be spending the time with Giovanni, enough to teach him about alchemy and the world, he wanted to know about the kid, at least a little.

"Where are your parents?" Edward asked, wanting to get the sensitive questions out of the way.

Gio didn't even flinch, he just shrugged nonchalantly, "gone. Mom died during child birth and dad left me with my grandparents."

That put sending Gio back to his parents out of the question. Ed felt a soft sting of sympathy and acknowledgement for the boy, but he quickly moved on, his eyes meeting those intense green ones, "Why do you want to learn alchemy?"

Gio didn't take any time with this answer either, but there was a definite difference than with his other answers. His shoulder squared and his eyes grew excited, that smile that had been only minutely on his face before was now wide, and his hands clenched, "I want to help people, teacher! I've heard of stories of alchemic doctors, people who help the land grow, people who change grass into food! I want to be one of those people. I've heard about the hard times our nation went through, and I heard about how you saved Amestris!" Gio took a deep breath, a soft sheen of blush going over his face, "I want to help people just like you helped people, teacher! I want to feed people, house people, clothe people! I don't want anyone to be homeless or hungry or cold at night!"

Well, that certainly wasn't what Edward was expecting. Then again, he really didn't know what he really expected as Gio's answer. There was a tendril of hope that maybe the kid had a morbid fascination for alchemy, or maybe he'd heard bedtime stories about people who could use magic. Helping people was a whole different ballgame in alchemy. He liked the thought of it, but that also meant that Edward would have to at least double what he was actually planning on teaching the kid. Changing grass to food was easy. Changing a couple of rags into a blanket was easier. But building houses? Helping the land grow?

Edward really did have his work cut out for him with this kid.

Edward smirked, his golden eyes piercing into the kid like daggers, "How much do you know about alchemy, Gio?"

This got the kid shifting. He looked almost uncertain of himself as he broke eye contact to stare at the ground, his lips pursing in annoyance as a small blush made it's way over his cheeks. He didn't answer for a moment, twisting around the hem of his shirt in his fingers as he internally fought to find the right words to explain, his heels clicking together as he nervously shifted in his seat. He glanced back up at Edward, shrinking under the fiery gaze of his teacher, Edward's eyes not leaving his small form, still looking intimidating, leaning against a stack of books, his eyes on fire as he smirked.

Gio sighed, "Not...not a lot. I read a book once, Introductory Alchemy." Giovanni shifted again, "but it mostly taught me about the idea of Alchemy..."

"I've read it." Edward answered instantly, nodding in agreement, "It only skims the top of Alchemic research, but it doesn't teach anything about the actual art of Alchemy, drawing transmutation circles, the biology and science that goes into Alchemy. Do you know how much goes into Alchemy? You don't just place your hands on a circle and hope for the best."

"I know that." Giovanni huffed, his hands fisting in determination. He felt ashamed of himself, coming up to one of the greatest Alchemists in Amestris with little to no knowledge of Alchemy, hoping to become an apprentice. But he would have no other chance.

And Ed respected the kid. Not everyone would come up to him with no Alchemic knowledge or experience, wanting to be taught. At least the kid was ready to learn, ready take in all that Ed had to tell him. Ed never expected it to be easy, but the kid had only read a beginners book, hell, a child would have understood that book. Edward laughed to himself only a bit, realizing that Gio was, in fact, a child.

"Okay." Edward sighed, reaching his good hand behind him and stretching backward as much as he could, groaning when his chest ached particularly badly. The nurse had tried to tell him to keep resting, laying, and sleeping as much as he could, but he just couldn't sit still. It was still hard to take in a full breath, and if he sat up for too long a time, his chest would ache with a painful fire, and he'd be forced to lay down again.

He reached to the stack of books he had been leaning on, his arm heavy with fatigue. His brows drew together in annoyance at this. He was just banged up, he shouldn't be this tired. Shaking it off, he grabbed the book he had been reading, reaching over to hand it to Giovanni, "Read this."

"Right now...?" Gio shot forward to grab it, hopping onto his feet and looking down at the book in wonder, his eyes wide and curious.

Edward was already reaching over to the next stack of books, picking one up and looking over it, before handing it to Giovanni. Crawling on the bed a bit, Ed reached to one of the stack of books behind the bed, grunting when the metal of his stump caught on the fabric of the bed. He picked up a book off the top of the pile, flipping through it quickly, his eyes scanning the contents quickly. He set it to the side quickly, already reaching for another.

It went on like this for a good thirty minutes. Edward didn't speak a word as he went through every single book in that room, flipping through it, and either setting it to the side or handing it to Giovanni. The room was in silence, and Gio scrambled to grab the books Edward was nearly throwing at him.

Edward was...different, than what Giovanni had expected him to be. When Giovanni had heard of the great Fullmetal Alchemist, the hero of the people, the one who saved Amestris, he had thought he'd be this great man. Edward truly _was_ a great man, with his golden hair and piercing eyes, but he was just...strange. He had a fire in him that Giovanni had expected, but the sheer determination that was in Edward's eyes, the steel and fire, was shocking. Here this man was, sitting without a leg and his arm in a sling, without the use of alchemy, and only three men to come and visit him? He was strong, but there was still something behind those golden eyes.

Ed leaned back, his hand resting on his knee as his chest heaved. The fire in his lungs was back with a force, and he could barely force himself to pull in a full breath without it being stolen from him instantly. The sweat was already pooling at his brow, and he was already reaching back to tug out his braid.

"There." He shook out his hair, closing his eyes as the soft and cool air of the hospital room hit his overheated skin. He opened his eyes again, looking at Giovanni, "Read those. Come back tomorrow."

Giovanni looked at the stack of books next to him, all of those that Edward had handed to him. He gaped at the thirteen books he'd been handed, then looked up at Edward, his eyes wide, "Wait...all of them!"

"Yeah." Edward shrugged, the nausea hitting him like a wave. He couldn't deal with Giovanni, not today. Lest he wanted to spew chunks all over the books Armstrong had generously brought him, and he didn't have a Military spending account anymore to pay for the damage. Taking as deep a breath as he could, he gave Gio a scathing glare, "Read those. Don't come back until you have. Those are the basics, the books will do a better job explaining the harsh details, and I'll wrap it up when you get back."

"Wh..." Giovanni's brows drew in concern, looking down at the books again, before shooting his gaze back up at Edward. He would never get his training done if all he did was read books! Giovanni took a step forward, "But it'll take me weeks!"

"Seven hours."

Giovanni started, his voice stuck in his throat as he looked at Edward, confusion rolling from him in waves. It was almost enough to make Edward forget his nausea in leu of amusement, the look on Giovanni's face priceless. All in all, Gio really was a little kid, after all.

"That's how long it took me to read those books." Edward couldn't even crack a smirk, using all his will power to not breathe in pants, "read them in seven days and we'll continue your training."

Giovanni gaped, letting out a quivering nod. He had known getting into this that it wasn't going to be easy, he'd known how great Edward Elric was. It was going to be tough, and he'd been laughed at many times when he announced to the others who he planned on apprenticing under. It was a chance he was willing to take, but...he'd been expecting toughness on alchemy, exertion in strength, pushing him to his limits of power and stamina, not reading.

Edward carefully lowered himself onto the bed, his chest practically singing in happiness when he finally got the weight off it. With one final glance over at his student, he let out a harsh breath, a smirk forming on his face as Gio hobbled out of the room, the stack of books threatening to fall.

* * *

><p>Mustang wasn't expecting that much when he got up that morning, the soft sunshine inking through the cracks in the tent, the soft chirping of the birds outside alerting him that, yes, it was time to get up. Sitting up slowly, he sighed deeply, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, getting it minutely manageable. He hadn't the time nor the equipment for a shower this morning, and he wasn't expecting one until he got back to Central.<p>

He'd managed to reaffirm the border here on Aerugo, and he wasn't quite sure why he was down here in the first place. There had been a slight worry of a possible breach of their border, but when he'd gotten down here, there was little to worry about. They'd spoken to the Prime Minister of Aerugo, not too long ago, and the man had been all to happy to keep peace between the two countries. Aerugo was a land of water, bordering the Ocean on one side and lower Creta on the other, so they were rather calm. It was mainly small fishing towns, and the larger cities were booming. There was no need for war, that was why Mustang was surprised when the Fuhrer sent him down here.

It was nothing to worry about, Mustang realized. A small misunderstanding between the two countries, and they were set to head home this coming afternoon. They were leaving a few more men at the border, but Mustang would have felt uncomfortable doing anything else about the matter.

Shrugging on his military issued jacket, he took a deep breath of the salty ocean air. He would have liked to go see the ocean, he'd never seen it before. But he needed to get back in Central, and this wasn't a vacation. Yet, he was already making plans in the back of his mind to ask for time off. The ocean sounded nice right about now.

"Major General Mustang, sir."

Mustang buttoned up the front of his uniform, sparing a glance toward the entrance of his tent, before looking down again, "Come on in, Hawkeye."

She entered, her back just at straight and uniform as ever. She had been up an hour and a half before, but Mustang knew that. He pulled down his jacket a bit, before looking at her, "You ready for the trip home?"

"Yes, sir." She answered quickly, before waiting a moment to speak again, "We received a call, Major General."

"A call?" Mustang looked up curiously, "What about?"

She paused for a moment, before choosing her words carefully, "Edward Elric is in central-"

"Edward?" Mustang smirked, taking a step forward, sticking his hands in his pockets as he felt a small spark of amusement and happiness at the mention of the boy. He hadn't seen Edward in a couple months. He'd been meaning to take a trip down to Ishval, as well. He had too much work on his plate to be thinking of so many vacations.

Mustang paused, growing slightly nervous when Hawkeye didn't smile. Her face stayed calm and straight, and she looked him in the eye, her eyes shone with pain, "He's in central hospital. There was an accident."

Mustang was already out of the tent and heading toward the barracks, the words that they were heading back immediately ready on his tongue.

* * *

><p>Edward woke to the sound of a soft knock on the door, even that being enough to wake him from his pain-induced slumber. They were finally able to give him something for the pain yesterday, and it had been wonderful, for how long it'd lasted. But now, he woke up more tired than when he went to bed.<p>

Turning his head toward the doorway, he yawned loudly, reaching up to rub under his eyes, "Come in."

"Good morning, Edward Elric!"

Armstrong was a good friend, but Ed wasn't so sure that Alex was the first person he wanted to see in the morning. Armstrong entered with a boisterous greeting, asking how the young Elric was doing this fine morning. Edward chuckled to himself, slowly pushing his body up to rest against a stack of pillows.

"I came to relay some good news." Armstrong announced, pulling a seat next to the bedside, reaching in absently to help Edward adjust the pillows, even though Edward protested. Armstrong leaned back, resting his elbows on his knees, "I may have found you an automail mechanic."

"That is good news." Edward chirped excitedly, the mere thought of having his leg back making all traces of his fatigue leave. While he knew already that the chances of his automail being as good as it was when Winry designed it were slim to none, he still felt comfort that he would soon get to standing on his own two feet again.

Armstrong beamed, sparking and shining in his prideful happiness, rivaling even the sun, "I was asking around a bit, and I've heard stories of an alchemist craftsman in Rush Valley."

That alone was promising. Edward wasn't desperate enough to accept the help of a automail mechanic that hadn't come from rush valley, only the best came from that town. It was true that he wanted his leg back desperately, but he wanted it to actually stay in one piece when he used it.

"That's great." Edward leaned forward, his golden hair flowing over his shoulders, unrestrained by the regular hair-tie. Life constrained to a bed had been tough so far, and he'd only been here a week. He would soon be able to walk out of this damn hospital on his own two feet, that thought alone was enough to make him as energetic as usual.

Armstrong was pleased immensely by Edward's reaction, hoping that the boy would find his search useful. He'd searched high and low for a mechanic for Edward's leg, and to tell the truth, he'd had to search through a lot. Every time that he even mentioned that they'd be making a leg for the famed Fullmetal Alchemist, everyone within a fifty foot radius would claim they were the best of the best. Some of them weren't even automail mechanics and they were vying for a chance to get at this deal, and get at the pay check it brought with it.

But he'd heard the stories from a few trustworthy friends that a alchemic automail mechanic in Rush Valley was one of the best, but not very well known. He'd even had to go through the investigation bureau to learn his name. But he was contacted, and he was coming to central.

"He's on his way here." Armstrong laughed boisterously, leaning back in his chair comfortably, "I must admit, he was wary of traveling all the way to central."

Edward began to laugh with him, wanting to mention something about the paycheck, and how this man worked, when something struck in his chest painfully. Instantly, his lungs constricted, and his breath grew short. It immediately felt like his skin was on fire, and he grasped desperately at the fabric of his shirt to relieve the pressure, but his lungs shrunk, and he gasped.

"Edward!" Armstrong was at his side instantly, hand on his shoulder gently as worry rolled off him in waves. Edward coughed once, twice, and finally, his deep gasping breath let way to his lung full of air. Gasping, Edward leaned forward, his whole body sagging.

Armstrong leaned forward, hearing the door slam open behind him and many a hospital personnel rush in, screaming orders at one another. He was pushed out of the way, his eyes wide, his mouth gaping, as the last thing he saw was Edward's body being lowered onto the hospital bed.

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><p>"Your lungs haven't fully healed, yet." The doctor stood over Edward's bed, said blonde giving him a scathing glare as he was yet again told what was wrong with him, "When the concrete landed on your chest, it cracked a few ribs and one of them punctured a lung. We've done most of what we've could, the surgery was a success."<p>

Giovanni listened intently, standing at the foot of his teacher's bed, listening intently. He wasn't quite sure if Edward even knew he was in the room, seeing as he'd come in right at the beginning of the doctor's speech, and Edward hadn't removed his glare from the man since.

"Though successful, we still want to keep you here at the hospital for a few more days, to ensure that there isn't an infection." The doctor didn't seem phased that Edward wanted to kill him with his eyes, and if he could have, Edward definitely would have been out of that been and attempting to strange the doctor. He hated doctors enough as it was, he didn't need them telling him that he had to stay in a hospital any longer than necessary.

The doctor bowed to Edward, leaving with those few words and making his way out of the room, closing the door with a soft click behind him. To say that Edward was in a bad mood would have been the understatement of the century, because his entire body was fuming in anger. He just had to go and screw things up again, and because of that bout with Armstrong, he'd just landed himself another two weeks int he hospital.

"Did you read the books?"

Gio jumped nearly out of his skin, looking up at his teacher. Holding onto the foot of the bed, Gio watched as Edward maneuvered himself sitting once again, his smile growing. His teacher truly was great, he resolved.

Giovanni nodded excitedly, running around the edge of the bed, excitedly leaning against the bed near Edward, "I read them all! I learned so much, teacher!"

Edward didn't doubt it. If the kid had truly read them all, then he would have nearly learned everything a beginner needed to know about alchemy.

"Good. Now," Edward believed him for the time being, and looking in the boy's eyes, he knew that determination. The boy hadn't lied, and while it probably took that entire week for the boy to read the books, he did it, and that was what Edward really was looking for, "Go get me a portable range."

"P..." Gio tilted his head to the side, his excitement slowly drifting away in leu of yet another one of his teachers seemingly meaningless tasks, "Portable what?"

Edward rolled his eyes, "Portable range. I've seen them around. It's like a stove, but you can move it places."

Giovanni gulped for a moment, doing a very good impression of a drowning fish. He stood there for a moment, shifting, looking back and forth between the roof, the ground, and Edward, wondering if he should say anything. It was a mere five minutes before he finally spoke again, "A...range? You want a stove?"

"Yes. Go find me one. Find Armstrong if you need money for it." Edward shooed Gio out of the room quickly, waving the teenager out. He could practically feel the disappointment rolling off the kid, but Ed knew this is what he needed to do. He'd been rolling over in his head ways to teach the kid, different ideas, different ways. He was thinking about the ways that his teacher taught him and his brother, and he immediately shivered. He didn't want to put anyone through that. He wanted the kid to learn the way of the world, the way that alchemy could benefit all, but he also wanted Gio to know the trouble that was alchemy, and how you needed to respect it.

He'd thought of many ways to do it, but there was only one way that he could, sensibly. Well, not-so-sensibly, but this was the only way he could think of teaching Gio.

No more than two seconds after the thoroughly confused boy scampered out of the room, then there was yet another knock. Edward sighed, wanting to go back to sleep, not realizing that he was going to be Mr. Popular in the hospital. Sighing, he turned to the door again, pulling his blanket up a bit further on his chest, "Yeah?"

The door was opened slowly, and an unknown man in military garb walked in, his face holding a soft smile though it didn't reach his eyes, "Hello, Mr. Elric."

"Hi...?" Edward raised a single eyebrow, his voice holding uncertainty.

The man laughed, "I've come on behalf of Brigadier General Armstrong. Mika Orken is here."

"Mika Orken?" Edward asked, but the military man was out of the room in a matter of seconds, the door propped open in his wake. Edward wasn't quite sure who this Mika person was, but he was fairly certain that they had the wrong person. Sighing, getting ready to get this conversation out of the way, Edward looked up when he heard the signs of another person entering his room.

When Edward looked up, he didn't really know what to expect from a person with the name of Mika Orken. It was a strong name, something someone remembered for a while, and whoever it was must be a rather memorable person, right?

"I'm Mika." The man leaned forward with a kind smile, his aged face showing that he must've been nearing the end of his thirties or even beginning his forties. There was a soft showing of stubble around the bottom of his chin, and his short dark hair had definite streaks of gray showing. But his smile was large, and he held himself as though a man would if he'd seen quite a bit, and his deep, dark blue eyes just confirmed that fact.

Edward smirked again, shrugging and letting his brows draw together in confusion, "Hello."

Mika stood there for only a moment, before waltzing into the room, the large briefcase he was holding tight against his side, "Were you the one Armstrong was talking about?" Mika glanced over Edward only momentarily, spotting the dip in the fabric where the man's leg should have been, realization fluttering in his eyes, "Ahh, I'm the one sent to fix your leg."

"You're the the alchemist automail mechanic?" Edward smiled wide, liking the fact that not only was the man from Rush Valley, but he also liked the age. This meant that Mika knew exactly what he was doing, and not to mention that the man was an alchemist along with an automail mechanic. Edward shuffled forward as much as he could, his left arm still held in a cast, extending his right hand happily, "Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming down on such short notice. I'm Edward."

"Nice to meet you, Edward." Mika strode forward, taking the offered hand quickly, his shake firm. His eyes travelled over the younger man in the bed curiously, taking in the bandage wrapped around the golden hair, the arm in the cast, the bare chest wrapped in bandages.

Mika snorted, placing a hand on his hip and smirking a bit, "Forgive my staring. For a moment you almost looked like Edward _Elric._" He laughed, "Have you heard of him? He's the Fullmetal Alchemist." Mika set down his suitcase, reaching down to grab the back of a chair, pulling it forward, "Great guy, so I've heard. Helps a lot of people."

Edward raised a brow, leaning forward to rest his good elbow on his knee, laughing a bit, "yeah. That's me. Edward Elric."

Mika paused in his preparation of his tools, his hands stilling on the locks of the case he carted around with him, looking up at Edward quickly. His eyes were squinted, scrutinizing Edward's words.

He smiled, kindly, his age showing especially when he smiled, "Well, Mr. Elric, it truly is an honor, then."

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading! I'm going to try and update every Monday, so look forward to it! I'm looking forward to reviews. :)<strong>


	3. Pulcra

**I'm glad that I can keep updating on a usual schedule. I'd like some more reviews, but beggars can't be choosers. Hope you like this chapter. :)**

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><p>When Roy Mustang barged into Edward's hospital room, expecting the worst, he realized he wasn't expecting this. He stood, gaping, in the doorway, staring at the tirade that was Edward's room. Stacks of books, of which served for the seats of the occupants of the room; one of which was a gawky teenaged boy leaning over a portable stove, the soft crackling of grease and food items sizzling on the grill. The other person in the room was an older man inspecting Edward's automail port, various tools and items spread out on the bed beside him. Edward, on the other hand, was reading a book while propped up on a couple of pillows, not a care in the world.<p>

They all looked up simultaneously as he barged in, sweat pooling on his brow, his breath huffing as he had been previously running. All feelings of worry and concern seeped out of his body like water through his fingers, and his shoulders sagged as he saw the room before him.

"Mustang! Long time no see." Edward smiled when he saw Mustang walk through the door, an excitement of just seeing a familiar face. He saw the man's frazzled appearance, and couldn't hold back a snort.

Mustang ran a hand through his hair, sighing, "Hell, Edward, you always know how to get yourself into trouble."

He strutted forward, stepping over various stacks of books, glancing down absently at the boy cooking, no, more like burning something on a stove. He smirked, then stepped closer to Edward, glancing at the man working on Ed's automail, before slouching slightly and sighing, yet again, "How'd you get into this mess?"

"All in a day's work." Edward laughed, leaning forward, gesturing to one of the many stacks of books setting around the room, "Take a seat. How have you been, Mustang?"

"Well." Roy sighed, shrugging out of his jacket, revealing his white shirt underneath. It was a welcome relief, the heat in central had skyrocketed this summer, and the jackets they were forced to wear were particularly life-threatening, "It's been a good couple of years. Hard work, though."

"What, Mustang, can't hold up?" Edward smirked, laughing through his teeth at the glare Roy sent him, "I heard about the promotion, Major General."

Roy smirked, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, "Good to see you haven't changed. I worked my way to the top. You, on the other hand, probably still wouldn't be even able to see me over my desk."

Edward's veins instantly filled with rage, his hair standing on end as he sent a death-glare toward the Major General, his hand's clenching as he shot forward in his seat, fist (from his good hand) flying in every direction, hoping to at least land one blow on Mustang, "Who are you calling so short that he'd have to use a stool to climb up onto a chair just to see over your desk?"

Roy laughed harder than he had in a while, Ed's little tirade making all the worry seep out of his shoulders. He could remember a time when he was hearing these nearly every day, and he didn't know how much he appreciated and looked forward to Ed's presence then when Edward left. He still saw Ed from time to time, when he was ordered to check up on Ishval, or maybe when he felt the need to see a familiar face, but it was never for longer than a couple minutes. He could understand Edwards want to not set foot in Central. Hell, it was hard for him to work here every day, sometimes.

"How has Ishval been?" Roy started again, quite liking the calm tone to their conversation in comparison to the military meetings he'd been frequenting as of late, "Have Scar and Miles made any headway on the bill?"

"They have, thanks to you." Edward leaned back against the pillows, a permanent smile on his face, "Your word with the Fuhrer pushed the bill to pass so fast they didn't know what to do with all the money. But construction has been going steady, and we're nearly finished with the main part of the city."

"That's very good to hear." Roy nodded, but his lips pursed when he thought of Ishval, and of Edward's injuries. What had happened? "Ed...how did you get injured?"

"We were working on a main building." Edward didn't sober up in the slightest, his smile still wide and pleasant, "There was a bit of loose concrete on the top, and it fell loose. I just so happened to be standing in the wrong place at the right time."

Roy couldn't help but laugh, "It's astounding that they even hit you."

"Who are you calling so short that even huge chunks of concrete would have a hard time hitting my small, minuscule body!"

Ed was flailing again, but he paused with a smile when he saw Roy's head tipped back, his boisterous laughter echoing throughout the room.

"Ed." Mika cut in with a whisper, trying both to not interrupt their conversation and try and get Edward to stop moving. He'd been silently listening in to their talk, astounded at how easily Edward could talk with such a high-ranked military official. Mika never really knew much about Edward other than the rumors he'd heard, but he was still shocked at how Edward was so popular with the military.

Edward glanced down at Mika, his brow raised.

"Could you stop moving?" Mika laughed, his hands pressed against his leg and port in order to try and get it to stop moving when Ed went on his tantrums, "It's kind of hard to inspect a moving target."

"Oh, sorry." Edward sat still once more, laughing nervously and glancing back at Roy, who had taken a sudden fascination with Ed's port, his face graced with worry.

Mustang looked at Ed skeptically, "your automail was destroyed?"

"Yeah, they said that they tried to look for it, but it was in so many pieces that it wasn't worth the trouble." Ed sighed, crossing his arms with a pout, "But Armstrong found me the best of the best. This is Mika Orken."

Mika glanced up, smiling kindly before he sat up in his seat, reaching over Ed's legs to offer the Major General a hand, "It's nice to meet you, Major General Mustang. I've heard much about you in Rush Valley."

"Have you?" Roy mused as he took the offered hand, shaking it and crossing his arms again, watching as Mika almost instantly went back to work, "I thought I recognized your face. You're pretty famous around Central. An alchemic automail mechanic, you don't hear of those too often."

"I do what I can." Mika smiled cockily, his own ego boost of the day making his limbs feel ten years younger.

Edward smiled as Mustang continued to watch Mika work, and though their conversation didn't continue, the silence was comfortable. Glancing over Roy's shoulder absently, Ed caught sight of Gio, rolled into a ball, his arms wrapped around his knees. He was staring at the food, having turned off the burner a few moments before, his cheeks stained with red and possible tears. The food on the burner was probably the reason for the boy's anguish, as it looked virtually inedible, the blackened substance of what should have been a fried egg now demolished.

"And that." Edward pointed, catching Roy's attention, as well as Gio's worried gaze, "Is Giovanni. My apprentice."

"Apprentice?" Roy could have laughed at that as well, as he looked over his shoulder at the boy, only feeling a tinge of guilt when he saw the pitiful look the boy was sending them, "How exactly is that possible when you can't perform alchemy?"

"That's what I tried telling him." Edward smirked, watching as Gio looked away and poked at the egg with a fork, "But that kid's stubborn. I'll teach him what I know."

Roy shook his head in amusement, chuckling to himself and leaning back in his chair again. Ed was quite the character, he knew this when he initially met Edward, but there was no end to Ed's eccentricities. Taking on a thirteen-year-old apprentice and having his automail repaired by one of the most respected automail mechanics in Rush Valley, and all like he was just walking through the park.

Roy laughed.

"Edward." Mika leaned forward, catching Edward's attention again, absently watching as Gio walked up to the bed as well, curious, "This port is very strange."

"My childhood friend designed it." Edward mused, leaning forward to try and get a good look at what Mika was doing, Roy doing the same, leaning in close to Edward and scooting his chair forward.

Mika nodded, knowing that it was an original design, "I know that, but it's not something I'm familiar with. I can change my designs to better fit this port, but It'd take a bit longer, and I'm not quite positive of the outcome."

Edward pursed his lips, his hand coming down to rub at his port, his brows drawing together, "Is there any other option?"

Mika smirked, "I'm not a alchemic automail mechanic for nothing, Edward. I can work very close to the skin, and I've studied Alkahestry in Xing. I can transmute your port to something more suitable for my skills."

Edward gaped, his eyes wide and a small smile quirking at the edge of his lips, "You can do that?"

Mika nodded, looking down at Edward's port again, running his fingers gently over the sensitive skin that connected the port to Edward's thigh. The skin along there was red and irritated, due to both the impact it received during Edward's accident and the burn of the metal against the already sensitive flesh.

Roy looked up at Ed from his close proximity, seeing the emotions running through the man's eyes. He didn't stop himself from reaching out to take Edward's hand, squeezing it and bringing Edward to his attention, searching the other's eyes, "Edward, what do you want?"

"I want..." Edward gulped, nodding toward Mika and turning his hand around, thoroughly surprising Roy by squeezing his hand back, his lips pursing and a blush gracing over his cheeks. Edward glanced at Roy momentarily, dipping his head as he thought, before looking at Mika again, "Change it. I don't want anything to effect the quality of my automail."

Roy smiled again, his eyes running over the soft contours of Edward's face, a certain feeling welling up in his chest, pride he knew, one he wasn't quite familiar with.

"Good choice." Mika didn't waste any time as he quickly reached over to the folded up pouch of tools, flipping the folds of the hold open, revealing a long display of tools. Wrenches, screwdrivers of all shapes and sizes, nuts, bolts, and, of all things, various writing utensils of all types.

Mika quickly whipped out a white pencil, reaching in carefully and drawing a small circle on the top of Ed's port, adding triangles and angles around it, before lifting up Edward's leg to draw another transmutation circle on the bottom, and repeating this on both the left and the right of the automail.

"A four circle transmutation?" Edward mused, leaning forward and inspecting the work with a curious eye.

Mika nodded, sliding the pencil back in place in his pouch, "Yes, it's a mixture of Alkahestry and Alchemy, using multiple points for a softer effect."

Very gently, Mika placed his finger tips against the metal of Edward's port, the fore finger and thumb of his left hand placed against the top, the right against the bottom. He glanced at Edward for only a moment, his usually calm and gentle face somber, "This is going to hurt."

The soft blue light illuminated the room, lighting the soft white walls, along with all the pairs of eyes watching in amazement as they saw the metal connected with Edward's leg twist and turn. It spun and twisted, curling against Edward's skin. The burns tracing the metal faded to a soft red, healed minutely by the Alkahestrical power.

Then it hit him. Ed closed his eyes tightly, holding the hand in his even tighter, having previously even forgotten that the hand was even in his. The metal was biting at his skin, twisting around on his nerves, yet still holding that bond, the attachment to each ligament. It felt as though his skin was being ripped and re-sewn. And although the pain was nothing like the attachment of the nerves, nor the pain of the loss of the leg itself, it was definitely up there.

Ed bit his lip, holding that hand even tighter, not noticing as Roy's other hand came on top of his, cradling it softly.

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><p>"See?" Edward leaned forward, seated on a stack of books in front of the burner. He glanced over at Giovanni with a smile, watching the play of emotions over the boy's face, "Everything takes everything. Do you understand?"<p>

Gio looked up at Edward, his brows drawing together.

"You can't create without putting your whole soul into it." Edward pointed at the charred and burned egg, the third attempt by Gio to create what his teacher had asked, "And while not everyone may be the greatest cook, everyone needs to be a great alchemist. If you don't devote your whole soul, your whole being, into alchemy, your failed attempt may be a hell of a lot worse than a burned egg."

Gio's eyes widened, his mouth gaping open in shock as the realization swept through his mind. It was unorthodox and strange, but it gained the desired effect. Edward leaned his elbows on his knees, only miffed slightly when his cast bumped against his port, causing a spark of pain at the healing metal, "You must respect what you are creating, no matter how small. Be it changing grass to bread, or metal into a weapon, you must treat every transmutation with the same respect."

The boy nodded, his eyes never leaving Edward's face, his ears catching on every word and drinking it up. Edward wanted to smirk and comment on how dedicated Gio was, but he couldn't stop now. If he wanted Gio to completely understand everything that came with alchemy in general, he needed the boy to understand and listen. He didn't have time to leave the boy on a island for a month, like his teacher, and he still to this day thought that his teacher's methods were a little unorthodox.

"But, respect does not stop there." He sobered a bit, resting a hand against his stump of a leg, looking at Gio, noting the small spark of realization that Gio had, and the boy's gaze shifted to his automail port, "You must respect what you are creating. You must respect what you have created. You must respect what is going into your transmutation. That egg might've become a chick, in different circumstances. The grass you change to bread would have grown and and been eaten. The bread you are going to create is going to feed someone. Respect alchemy in it's entirety and everything that surrounds it."

Giovanni gaped, his mind racing.

"Do you understand, Giovanni?" Edward questioned, his hand tightening on his automail, his flesh right hand tingling and clenching at the memory of the metal that used to stand in it's place.

"Yes."

"Alright, then."

Edward sat up, letting out a large breath he was holding in his chest. He scooted closer to Gio, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. He could feel the boy breathing next to him, slowly, thinking over what his teacher had just told him. Ed had known it all his life so he didn't know what kind of effect it would have on a person. Especially a person as young as Gio.

"What happened to your leg?" Gio's soft voice broke the silence, and Edward was expecting the question. There were rumors, but nothing of real importance ever left the ears the military. Most the people in the towns thought he lost his leg in war, and that's what he told people. He was positive that if Gio had heard rumors of him, of how he was the Fullmetal Alchemist, heard enough to want to seek out his teachings, then he probably heard the false truth.

Sighing, Edward placed a hand over his port softly, gulping at the words, "I didn't respect alchemy."

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><p>Edward stared down at his hand quizzically, a soft blush grazing over his features as he remembered the feel of Mustang's fingers around his, his fingers still warm. He rubbed the pads of his fingers together, running his skin over and over, his brows drawing together.<p>

"So...that Mustang..." Mika mused as he drew the string down Edward's right leg, measuring it carefully. Glancing up as he quickly wrote down the measurement, he smirked, "nice guy?"

"Yeah, great." Edward huffed quickly, crossing his arms as best he could and looking away, a defiant pout and blush on his face as he did, "So, hows the day today? Seems like a nice day, not a cloud in the sky. How's the automail coming?"

Mika laughed to himself, reaching to write something more down. He stayed silent for a few moments more, every once in a while writing something or another down, before measuring something else on Edward's leg. He measured the diameter of the calf, the length of the toes, the size of the foot, everything so that the leg was perfect. He'd already been here for an hour, hovering over Edward's leg, marking things, writing things.

"Where's the little Giovanni?" Mika questioned, changing the subject for Edward, so he wouldn't be subject to any more embarrassment, "Haven't seen him for a while."

"He's just thinking over what I said." Edward rubbed his hand against his shirt, glancing at the door quickly, before leaning back again. He'd been in the hospital for a total of two weeks, and the doctor still wasn't going to let him out. The doctors still wanted to keep an eye on his lungs, and even after the bandages on his forehead were gone, the wrappings around his chest stayed the same. His breathing was easier, yet there was still something wrong with his chest, and his breath would get constricted, so the doctors wanted him to stay.

It was driving him stir crazy, but not nearly as much as he thought it would. There was constantly someone here, be it Mika on his leg, Gio for his training, and now, more often then not, Mustang, just to talk. Mustang had been coming around nearly once a day now. It was nice, to see the familiar face, and actually have a conversation with someone without something holding them back. Roy seemed more calm and collected than ever, and he enjoyed their conversations.

"I'm going to start on your leg this afternoon." Mika started, writing a bit more on his notebook, half of which was filled with equations and transmutation circles, all for Edward's leg in some way, "It's going to take about three days to build the base model, then the fine tunings and details will take no less then four days. After we connect it to the port, I want to make sure everything is running correctly. So your leg should be done in about a week and a half."

"That long?" Edward could have pouted, but he resigned himself to the fact that no matter what he did, he would always be bed-ridden.

Mika smirked, nodding, "Good automail takes time, Edward. I could rush and get it done, but that would bring down the quality. Good automail can't be finished in a couple days."

Edward huffed, murmuring something under his breath before he leaned back against the pillows again, wiggling his limbs around to get a good seat. He was going completely insane in here, sitting on a bed that had practically formed to his ass, the need to take a shower that hadn't been administered by a nurse practically driving him up a wall, and not to mention his lungs would keep him up at night, keeping him from having any semblance of a good nights sleep.

The doctors tried to tell him that it was natural, that his lungs needed to heal. When the concrete had landed on his chest, it had broken three of his ribs, one of which punctured his lungs. It had already been two weeks, but they said the initial surgery had been successful, but punctured lungs could lead to infection, and a whole range of other things that were potentially harmful.

All that meant was that he would probably still be in this hospital bed when his leg was finished, but no doubt he would be gone from this place and checked out as soon as that leg connected.

"Why did you become a automail mechanic?" Edward mused, resting his head back against the headrest, and despite all of his whining and fussing, he felt tired and weary.

Mika glanced up, his smile softening when he saw the fatigue in his friend, "Well, I originally started as an alchemist. By my twenties I was pretty good, and was fascinated with bio-alchemy, healing people. I studied in Xing for fifteen years, and by the time I made it back to Amestris, I had learned all I could in the field of bio-alchemy and Alkahestry. A...a friend of mine lost a limb, and I realized I could do nothing to get the limb itself..."

Mika glanced up, his voice soft, but his words stuck in his throat when he finally looked at Edward, his brows drawing together and his lips forming a soft smile. Edward was leaned against the back of the bed, slumped forward, his head lolled back in his sleep.

"Why ask if you don't plan on listening?" Mika mused as he stood on his weary limbs, feeling all of his forty-five years, stepping over to gently tug at Edward, bringing the man to a laying position, before pulling the blanket up to secure over him. It couldn't be easy for such an energetic person to be bed ridden, but Edward was taking it rather well.

With a new energy in his bones, Mika reached down and grabbed his notebook, flipping it closed. With one last look at Ed over his shoulder, he closed the door, resigned to make the best automail he could, because this time, someone truly deserved it.

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><p>Edward lounged happily, taking in the sunshine on his limbs, his hair flaying out behind him and tangling in the grass, his fingers digging into the soil. It was only the hospital courtyard, but he'd only figured out about it today by overhearing one of the nurses wanting to take a patient out there, and it felt like a million dollars. The sun on him was wonderful, and the second he'd gotten out here, he'd fallen asleep, something that astounded him.<p>

Hearing the soft footfalls as someone came up to him, Edward opened his eyes slowly, squinting in the sun as he saw a figure standing over him. Raising a hand to cover his eyes, the silhouette of the figure laughing as he continued to stare down at Edward, "I was wondering when you'd figure out they had a courtyard."

"Damn it, that's part because you didn't tell me!" Edward yelled, wiggling around with annoyance.

Roy chuckled to himself, yet again shrugging off his jacket as he took a seat next to Edward's torso, leaning back on his hands and sighing in the sun, "It's a very nice day."

"Agreed." Edward sighed, resting his wrist against his eyes, letting out a long breath as the fresh air made his lungs feel wonderful, "What have you been doing lately? You didn't come see me yesterday."

Roy gulped, a soft flush covering his cheeks as he glanced at Edward. Covering up his reaction quickly, he smirked, "What? Miss me? I don't spend all my time visiting you. I do have a job, you know."

"You made an obligation, Mustang." Edward wiggled around again, particularly enjoying it when a soft breeze brushed past him, rustling his hair and cooling his overheated skin, "You need to come visit me. Gio and Mika are nice and all, but Gio can't hold a conversation if his life depended on it, and Mika either gone working on my automail or is too busy thinking about my automail to talk."

Mustang could only chuckle. He did look forward to his talks with Edward, but they were cutting into his duties as a Major General, and that wasn't something the Fuhrer wanted to see. Roy may have been close friends with the Fuhrer, but that didn't mean he liked seeing his men slack off just to go visit someone.

"There has been a lot of tension on the border of Aerugo." Roy sighed, his shoulders slumping at the mere mention of work and his duties, "I've been keeping in contact with the soldiers down there and things haven't been going well."

"Another uprising?" Edward sat up carefully, looking up at Roy, squinting in the sun, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

"War is inevitable, Edward." Roy looked down at the man, searching his eyes with a pained resolution, "No matter how hard we try and stop it, war is going to happen. There are four countries around us, and three out of the four want conflict." He chuckled to himself, "I just have to think that we're lucky Xing doesn't want a piece of us, too."

"Ling wouldn't wage war on us if his life depended on it." Edward sighed, looking all around him for a possible escape into some shade. Catching sight of a tree, Edward planted his hands on the ground and scooted backwards, inching his way toward the precious shade.

Roy took no time in laughing at him, standing to his feet and patting off his bottom, his smirk full force as he watched Edward do a very good impression of a caterpillar, inching his way over the grass. Roy smirked, "Wow, Edward. You've finally lowered yourself to the position of a caterpillar. Maybe someday you'll become a beautiful butterfly, if you dream hard enough."

"Shut it, Mustang!" Edward wiggled around again, shooting a seething glare at Mustang as he continued his trek, "Stop calling me a lowly earthworm! You'll see!" His anger wasn't as fueled as his other times, but his rant was just as impressive, "When I do become a damn butterfly, I'll fly so high you can't even see me!"

"And you'll always be a speck."

"Who are you calling a small speck on the grass that can't even make his own way to some shade without being compared to a small, minuscule caterpillar!"

Roy chuckled fondly, reaching down and picking Edward up by the arm, getting the man to his foot rather quickly. Wrapping an arm around Edward's waist, Mustang looped Ed's arm around his neck, holding tightly to Ed's hip. Smirking yet again at the defiant blush that was covering Ed's face, Roy made his way forward.

"H-Hey!" The stutter made him blush harder, but as he hopped forward with Roy's help, he couldn't help it, "I can make it on my own."

"Oh, sure you can." Roy nodded in agreement, "I'll meet you over there in, what, December?"

The shade was more welcome than Edward thought it would be, and the couple degrees difference made him sigh in relief. It was a very nice day today, but seeing as it was the middle of the summer, the sun didn't want Edward to have any relief. His skin sang, and it looked as though he were glowing. He'd been sitting out there long enough to get a good summer tan, but not long enough to burn.

"How has Hawkeye been?" Edward asked softly, blushing only a bit when Mustang sat close to him, their shoulders brushing together as he did, "And the others?"

"The other's are doing alright." Roy mused softly, leaning against Edward's shoulder, feeling more tired than he had in a while, "Just fine."

"Hey, you okay?" Edward looked over at Roy with a raised eyebrow, nudging the other carefully, "You've been acting weird."

"I already said." Mustang smirked, looking over at Edward, trying not to let the fact that their faces were mere inches apart make him squirm, "The rebellion on the borders are taking a real toll on me. I've had to go down to the border of Aerugo in five different locations all within the last three months, all to beef up security. They almost made it through into Amestris once."

"I didn't think it was that bad." Edward inquired, reaching up absently to run a hand through his hair, lips pursing slightly when he felt the damp strands due to sweat. His hair brushed over his shoulders, and some of it onto Mustang's shoulders, making him just that much more aware of how close they were seated. He gulped, taking a deep breath, hoping that his voice didn't come out as weak and scared as he thought it would, "It's...it's not like last time, is it...?"

Roy met Edward's eyes, searching them deeply, his frown in place as he tried to analyze just what the Elric was thinking. The man never let any emotions through, and even as he sat there, worried about the impending war, Edward's eyes were strong and warm. His brow was furrowed slightly, and his lips were parted in uncertainty, and Roy was sure that it was only due to their proximity that he was able to tell. Ed was a very strong person, Mustang wouldn't deny that, but there was always an edge of uncertainty that Edward had around people he was comfortable with. He wold show his true self with people he knew, and liked.

It pleased Roy to no end to be one of those people.

"No." And Roy's hand sought out Ed's once more, taking it softly, "This is nothing like that time, Edward. Everything's going to be fine."

Edward sighed with a soft smile, nodding and leaning to the side, leaning his head on Roy's shoulder, a smile and flush still on his face.

* * *

><p>"Why don't you speak to your brother anymore?" Gio questioned, flipping to a new page of his notebook, of which was full of various different transmutation circles, all of which Edward had deemed unworthy.<p>

Edward scowled, leaning back against a tree in the middle of the courtyard, the air soft and cool due to the sun setting in the West. It was getting a bit dark, so Gio couldn't see the look of hurt and distain crossing Ed's face. Ed was only curious about how Gio even knew he had a brother for only a second. It was probably due to the rumors, they were mostly about Edward, but they mention his younger brother from time to time. Edward shrugged, looking away, "No reason. Get back to drawing."

Edward could still remember the day when he and Al had met up to go back to Winry's, even though it was nearly two years ago. There had been an edge of tension in the train when they'd headed back, and Edward and Al hadn't spoken a word to each other. The walk to Winry's house had been even worse. She didn't smile as she opened the door to them, and Al had been the first one to ask if something was wrong. Ed didn't hate her, it was the opposite. He did love her, but she didn't understand that his love for her was that of one for a sister. They had spoken, and in the end, they'd ended up screaming. Alphonse knew of this, and he grew silent. Edward hadn't known of how much he knew, but it was enough.

It wasn't long that they were in the house before they started screaming at each other. Al, for once in his life, had started the argument. His temper could be just as bad as Edward's, but it wasn't as easily provoked. This time, Ed had said one word, and Alphonse had started his screaming.

_You're just jealous! Jealous, that for once in our lives, I'm better than you! And you can't stand it!_

_Alchemy is the thing that started this all! Yes, I'm glad you can't use it anymore, Edward! _

Their voices still stuck in his brain, and he could still remember the ice and fire in his veins at their words. Looking down at his hands as he thought about the fights, the yelling, the screaming, he still thought about alchemy. He would still clap his hands together sometimes, even though he knew nothing would come out of it when he pressed his hands against the ground. He still clapped, hoping against hope that he'd see that illuminating blue light and, despite how much he told himself not to, he would get his hopes up. And when his hands pressed against the ground, and nothing happened, nothing but a breeze of the air, he felt the pain of the loss again.

Edward stared at the ground, his hands pressed together in front of his chest, having to adjust slightly due to his cast. Closing his eyes, he thought long and hard about it. It wouldn't work, it wouldn't work, no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't work. Yet, he still pressed his hands against the grass in front of him, clenching his teeth so tight it hurt, his fingers digging into the dirt, feeling the grass tickle his tense wrists and arms. He wished so hard that it hurt, wished with his entire being that it would work. He dug his fingers into the soil, poured everything he had into this single moment.

And it didn't work. The grass was still grass. The breeze pushed past his face, mocking him. There was no blue light that he'd grown so fond of, there was no tingle in his fingers at the power coursing through them, there was absolutely nothing.

It killed him every time.

Giovanni clenched his pencil tightly in his hand as he stared at his teacher, his lips pursing at the look of sheer pain on his teacher's face. Reaching forward, Gio placed a small hand on Edward's leg, pressing to get Edward's attention, "Edward?"

Ed jumped, looking down at his protege, painfully uncurling his fingers from the grass and dirt. His face slowly morphed into a soft smile, dipping down to Gio's eye level, reaching a shaking hand to rest his chin in his hand, "I'm fine, Giovanni."

Shaking his head, Gio slid forward, pressing his notebook on Edward's leg, drawing a quick circle, glancing up at his teacher, before continuing. Edward still had that small smile on his face, and it was at that moment that Gio decided. He was going to see his teacher smile...smile for real.

* * *

><p>His hair flayed out around him, scattered on the pillow and bed around him, only shifting slightly when he pushed further into his pillow, completely oblivious to the rest of the world in his deep slumber. It was nearing midnight, and he'd had quite the day, so he'd been deep in his sleep since early evening.<p>

Mika had come by, and to Ed's despair, only carrying a shell of what his leg should be. It was thin, wires were sticking out everywhere, and there was no foot. Edward whined the whole way, and Mika pretended not to notice. He'd merely come to attach the leg, check if everything was working okay, and to check if his alchemically changed port was doing alright. It was bleeding only slightly, some of the ligaments of skin tearing due to the strain. Mika insisted that this was completely normal, but he still healed the injury with alkahestry, a steady frown on his face the entire time he was in the room.

When they connected the port to the draft leg, it hurt just like Edward remembered it would. Just because Mika was a better automail mechanic, and just because Mika knew Alkahestry and Alchemy, didn't mean that it would make connecting to the port any less painful. It was almost like he could feel every nerve connecting to the metal, every connection snapping into to place. It was like his leg was being cut off all over again, and it was always painful, all the time.

Mika was gone as soon as he had come, and he took the leg with him, his brow set in a determined frown. He said that he would be back within the week with the finished product, and Ed was more than elated.

Gio had come down a while into Mika's check up, and Edward immediately had him start a transmutation. The day before Gio had drawn a perfect transmutation circle, and Edward was surprised. He didn't expect the boy to progress so quickly, but he took it in stride, and immediately told the boy to go to the market and buy various things. Yet again, Armstrong was the scapegoat for the expenses, but Edward chalked it up as pay-back for the man not having come visit him for a while.

His first transmutation was a success, but Edward couldn't really rejoice with the boy. Just the sight of the lightning-like blue lights was enough to send him back in thought, and he tried to smile, he tried to be happy, but all he could feel were ugly emotions. He hated himself for that, and when Gio excitedly held up the small form of a dog he'd created, Edward smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Gio soon claimed that he was tired and left, despite Edward's protests. The dog was left on his bedside table, and Edward turned so his back was facing it.

It was a day that he really wanted to just go out into the courtyard, have Mustang come and talk to him, or even Armstrong, but no one came through that door. It was the middle of the afternoon, and he wanted to move, get this stupid depression out of his system, but he couldn't. He was forced to wallow in it.

As he went to bed that night, taking out his trademark braid, he felt his lungs constrict and release with every breath. It was as though he were breathing in a constant haze, and he couldn't take in a full breath. As soon as his head hit the pillow, the fire in his lungs died out, and he fell asleep instantly.

So he didn't notice when Roy Mustang slowly slid into the room in the night, his face tired and withdrawn. He didn't really know what brought him here, other than the fact that the thought of seeing Edward made his day bearable. It truly had been a bad one. The Fuhrer had wanted to speak with him first thing in the morning, and it wasn't a good talk to put it lightly. Soon after he was put on a train heading to the border of Aerugo, for what seemed like the millionth time, and when he got there, he was immediately thrown into a struggle that he didn't see coming. Aerugo was throwing everything it had against the Amestris army, and although they were doing a good job holding them back, it had escalated far past the point Mustang ever thought it would.

He tried to arrange a talk with the Aerugian leader, but his hopes were shot down again as the Aerugo army general declared that it was a no-holds-bard uproar from their part. Mustang didn't even know what they were upset about anymore, and he was fairly certain it wasn't because of water rights or land anymore.

The day, to say the least, had gone down from that point. He didn't make it back to the Fuhrer's office until the afternoon, and the Fuhrer wasn't happy at what he was hearing. The Aerugo-Amestris border was something that none of them liked hearing about, and it was definitely a sensitive subject.

Roy had a rough day, and for some reason, seeing Edward was the only thing he wanted to do. Standing over the boy's bed, looking down at him, he realized how beautiful he was. It wasn't something he often thought about another man, and even now it felt strange and weird, but he couldn't help the thoughts flooding his head when he saw Edward lying on the bed, his golden hair flayed about him.

Roy's lips pursed together as he heard Edward's struggled breaths, almost sounding as if he were breathing water, his chest rattling. Reaching out, he slowly pressed his hand against Edward's hair, drawing it down, to feel the soft locks. Edward shifted in his sleep, a soft smile on his face, and as Roy's fingers drew down his hair and onto his cheek, he knew why he wanted to see Edward of all people right now.

Sighing, Roy pulled up Edward's blanket around his shoulders, running his hand through Ed's hair once more, before turning and walking out of the room, feeling worlds better.

"...Roy?"

Roy glanced back over his shoulder, seeing Edward push himself up on his forearms tiredly, his sleep-deprived face framed by his long and sleep-tousled golden hair. His eyes were half closed and drowsy, "What...what're you doin' here? It's the middle of the night."

"Nothing. Just checking up." Mustang smirked, his hand still resting on the doorknob, ready to push it open and leave, "Now go back to sleep, Edward."

Edward didn't argue, instead choosing to nod, flopping down and burrowing deeper into his pillow, asleep in seconds.

Roy let the door close softly behind him, a smile crossing his face as he sauntered down the hallway.

* * *

><p>When Edward woke the next morning, it was like his whole body was covered in a haze. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, fall into an unconscious state where he wouldn't be assaulted with the pure struggle that was associated with breathing. His limbs were stuck to the bed and his attempts to move them were in vain as it felt like his whole body was rusted steel. When he opened his eyes, he could see the ceiling above his head, but his brain throbbed and pulsed in pain.<p>

"...Teacher?" Gio's soft voice met his ears, and he was actually glad to hear it. As much as he hated showing weakness in front of others, he really didn't want to be alone, not now.

It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would to turn his head to look at the boy, but he had the urge to take a deep breath afterwards, of which was nearly impossible. He smiled warmly, but it was small, "Hey, Gio."

"Are you okay...?" Gio didn't like the sound of his teacher's breathing, it sounded unnatural and strange, and his teacher wasn't moving. Usually by now, he would be up and jumping around.

Edward coughed a bit, feeling his lungs loosen, "I'm fine, Gio."

Gio leaned against the bed, his lips pursing together in annoyance. His teacher's breathing was slightly better now that he was up, but it wasn't the best, and Gio knew that if someone sounded like that while trying to breathe, it wasn't a good thing. His teacher wasn't doing too good, and he'd only heard bits and pieces of what happened to him, but there had to be a reason as to why Edward was bedridden for so long.

He stayed lying there for a good thirty minutes, waiting for his limbs to stop hurting. Gio was off in the corner practicing his transmutations, and by the time he wandered over again, Ed had pushed himself up to as seated position. This was one of the few days where he was glad to be stuck in a bed, using it as an excuse to not move. He knew that Mika wasn't going to come in and visit for another week, that was good. One less person to worry about him.

"Do you like Mika?" Gio asked, not bothering to show Edward the doll he'd transmuted, just knowing that Edward would have something bad to say about it. He set it on the bedside table, next to the various sized dogs.

Edward glanced over, raising a brow, "Yeah, he's a nice guy. Why?"

"Just wondering." Gio leaned on the bed, twirling his fingers around in the sheets, looking away for only a moment before looking back up, "Why don't you just go back to your old automail mechanic?"

Edward really wasn't in the mood for this, he sighed as he leaned his head back painfully, his hands clenching as he took another deep breath. He wasn't in the mood for these stupid questions and he really didn't want to think about it right now. Closing his eyes slowly, he tried to take a breath, "I just don't want to. Mika is better. Get back to your transmutations."

Gio scoffed, turning around slowly and going back to his paper, wondering what he'd transmute now. He knew the basics of alchemy already, when would Edward get to teaching him the good stuff? He didn't want to transmute dolls and clay figures anymore, he wanted to get into the real stuff.

"Hey, teacher..." Gio started slowly, wondering if Edward would get mad at him, "I want to learn more."

Edward snorted, taking a shuddering breath as he looked over at the boy, "You want to learn more?"

"Yes, teacher."

He really wasn't in the mood for this. Edward pulled himself up further, his body slumping forward, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. Wasn't that the point of a hospital, anyway? He raised his hand wearily to rest his chin on his hand, "You really want to know more? Okay. Listen up."

Despite everything, Edward talked. He just spoke, telling Gio what he knew and more. It wasn't something that was easily taken in, but Giovanni was just sitting there, soaking it in, eyes wide in wonder at Edwards words. Despite his lungs burning, and how much energy it took to just say one word, Edward spoke. It felt like days that he told Gio everything, his mouth spewing everything he could think of. He didn't even remember knowing this much, but he continued to just talk and talk, coming to conclusions instantaneously, realizing things, talking and figuring at the same time.

"No matter how hard you try, becoming good ad alchemy isn't an overnight act, Giovanni." Edward finally finished, taking a deep breath (as deep as he could), looking over at the boy with his dull and tired golden eyes, and even then, there was a deep spark that had them always glowing, "Alchemy is obtained over time, no one is instantly good at it. It is a vast and infinite world of knowledge that even now, there are some things that people haven't discovered. Infinite worlds of knowledge. Do you know that?" Edward's lungs quivered at their exertion, and he felt as though his whole body was screaming at him, and he hadn't even moved, "It's larger than me. Larger than you."

"It may be larger than me, teacher." Gio started hesitantly, still trying to wrap his head around all that his teacher had just told him, "But I can still try. It's always going to be bigger than me, I'm not trying to surpass it. I'm just a small little speck on this world, and compared to Alchemy, I'm a speck on the speck. I know that in my lifetime, I'll only learn a fraction of what I could about the world and alchemy, but that doesn't mean I can't learn all I can. I can search and search, and learn until I'm sated."

Edward's eyes grew wide at Gio's words, the small boy's eyes hard in determination, his hands clenching at the fabric under them. He was old for his age, and had been through quite a lot. He had his share of emotional baggage, but his mind was still straining for the things he didn't know. How could such a young boy want to know so much about such a large subject that was alchemy? Shouldn't he be at home having fun with his friends?

Edward snorted when he realized that Gio was just like himself. A small, dark-haired, green-eyed version of himself when he was just small, wanting to learn all that he could.

So, when Ed placed a hand on Gio's head, rubbing down like you would a child, he wasn't thinking such. All the things he could teach Gio, and the boy was willing to learn. Ed's hand was warm against his head, and he was elated and surprised at the same time at the friendly action. This was the most affection Ed had shown him, and it was welcome. Glancing up at his teacher, Gio only saw Ed's head tipped back toward the ceiling, his eyes closed and his lips parted in a sigh.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading. :) Please review, if you have the time. <strong>


	4. Praeterita

**Hello, here's another chapter. Thank you for those who are keeping up with this. :)**

* * *

><p>Giovanni's shining moment of glory was rudely interrupted by the doctor walking in the door. His shoulders were stiff, as they had been ever since they'd walked in yesterday to see Edward in his near catatonic state. Ed had of course tried to tell them that he was okay, but that didn't stop them from injecting him full of painkillers and other various drugs. They took his blood and said that they were going to run tests, but that never meant anything good.<p>

"I just wanted to let you two know, that the radio has been broadcasting that the Aerugo border has been breached." The doctor's age was more prominent, and it was obvious that he wasn't having a good day, and he hadn't had a good day since he decided to become a doctor, "It's just protocol, and the military has assured us that there is nothing to worry about, but I thought you two should know."

"What does that mean?" Gio asked from his seat atop a stack of books, pointedly trying to not look at the doctor in hopes that he'd go away faster.

The doctor's eyes showed his annoyance, and that only added to the wrinkles on his forehead, "It means that the radio is using scare tactics again."

Giovanni was glad when the door closed and the doctor was behind it.

And thus, Giovanni turned back toward his work of art.

He'd transmuted a pile of books. He knew Edward would be mad at him for ruining the books, but maybe someone would be able to turn them back. The pages of the books were stacked on top of one another, creating intricate designs, flowing in and out. They created the shape of a tree, it's branches spreading out, all of the papers rolled together. He'd hardened the carbon of the paper to make them like the wood they were originally made out of, and it was grappled to the ground.

He would have left a note for Edward to find when he woke, so he wouldn't get the brunt of Ed's screaming about the books, but the transmutation had left him with no energy, and all he could do was sit. It was a miracle the doctor hadn't seen it, and for that, Gio was grateful. He prayed to all gods above that Edward stayed asleep until Gio had enough energy to get out of here.

Looking at his teacher was hard. Edward was deep in sleep, but his features were strained in an uncomfortable nightmare, something that must happen daily. His teacher was plagued with nightmares about his past and about his losses. Gio had his fair share of nightmares, but he couldn't imagine what his teacher was going through.

Giovanni jumped out of his skin when he heard a soft knock at the door, his immediate response was to look at his teacher, eyes wide in fear that Ed would awake. The blonde in the bed didn't budge, and Gio sighed in relief, turning back to the door, which had already started to open. He was close to telling that stupid doctor to leave them alone for a while, when he saw that it, in fact, wasn't the doctor.

The man's red eyes burned into Gio's, his frown set and deep on his face. HIs brows were drawn together in annoyance, his stark white hair falling down and over his shoulders. He wore military garb, something that made Gio even more unsettled. Gio frowned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, "Who're you?"

"I've come to check up on Edward." Miles regarded the boy with a curious gaze, wondering if this was the apprentice they were speaking so much of back in Central headquarters, doubting that Edward would teach such a scrawny kid.

Miles walked past the boy, his lips pursing more when he saw the spectacle of branches and paper spread out across the room. It was messy, he'd definitely seen more sophisticated alchemical work, but there was no doubt talent in the boy, if he had truly been the one to perform the transmutation. Maybe Edward was teaching this boy, only the Elric could make a boy of this age so talented.

To say that Miles didn't like what he saw would be an understatement. He'd been warned when he talked to the doctors that Edward wasn't in good condition, he hadn't been expecting this. Apparently the surgery was successful, but there had been a minor infection. Edward was gasping for breath, his face drenched in sweat and a red sheen shining all the way down his neck.

"How long has Edward been in this condition?" Miles questioned, reaching down to softly press his palm to the blonde man's forehead, frowning deeper when the warmth practically radiated off Edward.

Gio frowned as well, looking down at his clenched hands, once again ashamed at his own inability to do anything about his teacher's current state, "When I got here this morning he was like this. Yesterday he wasn't so good, either. He's had a lot of trouble breathing."

"Have they tried bringing in an Alkahestrist?" This wasn't good at all. If this continued, they might be forced to bring that Marco man to help. He was sure Mustang could arrange that, but the only thing standing in the way of Marco healing Edward was the repercussions of trying to use the Philosophers Stone on the Elric. It wasn't a secret that Edward would rather lay tortured and sick in a bed than use the stone, Edward would probably have to be on the brink of death for the stone to be an option.

Gio furrowed his brow together, shaking his head, "I don't think so. There aren't many Alkahestrists in Central, except for Mika, but he hasn't been here in a while."

Miles pulled the blanket around Edward's chest up toward the man's chin, his worry and unsettlement about the situation growing by the second, "Who is this Mika?" He glanced back over at Gio, standing up to his full height and already reaching to slip his glasses back on, "You say he's an Alkahestrist?"

"Yeah, Mika is the guy making Edward's new automail." Gio answered, his own feeling of uncertainty growing. Was it so bad that they needed and Alkahestrist? "He's studied Alkahestry for fifteen years."

Nodding, Miles strutted toward the door again, not sparing a passing glance at the boy. He was done with his observation, and he had been expecting a nice chat with Edward when he entered the room. This was the last thing he expected, and it was more unsettling then he would have liked to admit. He didn't know when, but Edward had wormed his way into Miles's heart, much like he had most of the population in Ishval.

"I'm going to call for this Mika." Miles murmured over his shoulder before closing the door with a snap, his hurried footsteps strutting down the hallway once again.

* * *

><p>"Gio did this?" Edward mused as he sat up in bed, one leg dangling over the side, the other still a stump despite the affirmations that he'd be getting a new one in a week. Although Mika had come in a few hours ago, it hadn't been with the new leg Edward was so looking forward to.<p>

Instead, Mika was sending alchemical and alkahestral waves through his body, healing whatever was wrong with him slowly. Of course, Mika couldn't heal it completely until he was filled in on exactly what was wrong with Ed, but he would do all he could. And for that, Edward was grateful, seeing as when Mika came in this morning he had been writhing in pain on the bed.

But to say that he wasn't expecting to wake up to a tree of book pages would be an understatement. Gio must've really taken to his weeks of training, if this was any consolation. Gio wasn't the best alchemist in the world, but he was progressing by leaps and bounds, especially for a child of thirteen. There were some slight imperfections, but that could be easily overlooked by the sheer size and magnitude of this transmutation. The mere fact that Gio even knew what kind of transmutation circle to use was amazing.

"Gio is progressing amazingly." Mika started slowly, hoping he wasn't overstepping his bounds, "You're a very good teacher, Edward. You should think of taking on other apprentices."

"Nah." Edward sighed, running a hand through his hair with a tired glare, "one is enough, believe me. This kid is going to be the only one."

"Don't be so sure." Mika mused happily, humming to himself a bit as he pressed his fingers into Edward's back, of which had a lightly inked transmutation circle on it, "I heard that by the age of ten you were at least thrice his skill."

"I never will compare myself to him." Edward laughed, not denying it to himself that he was thinking the same thing. Gio was good, but he didn't have a good enough reason to do alchemy to advance as quickly as Ed and Al had. Glancing over his shoulder to the soft blue light of a transmutation, Edward felt a warmth in his chest, and it was slightly easier to breathe afterwards, "I didn't know you knew healing Alkahestry."

"Alkahestry deals with the waves of the earth and the chi of the people on the earth. It's a heavily medical art, Ed." Mika pressed again, still hearing the slight struggle of breathing coming from Ed, "Not to mention I went over there mainly for the medical practice of Alkahestry."

"Well." Edward slumped forward tiredly, his lips forming a pout at Mika's stern and straight forward answer, "I'm glad you're good at Alchemy and Alkahestry. Why don't you teach Gio? I think that's a great idea. You take on apprentices."

"I have, many of them." Mika laughed, running a hand down the span of Edward's back, his voice still holding an edge of concern, if only for the numerous amounts of scars he saw littering the boy's back, and he couldn't ignore the large scar going around the base of Ed's right shoulder. That scar was all too familiar.

"But none as interesting as you, Edward." Mika smiled fondly, letting his hand linger a moment before reaching over to the small bowl of water to the side of the bed, dipping a spare rag into it. As he cleaned Edward's back of the transmutation circles, he mused almost in a whisper, "Your automail is nearly finished."

"Nearly? You said it would be done in a week. It's been four days." Edward tried to wriggle around to get a better look at the other in order to yell at him face to face, but Mika kept him seated.

Smirking, Mika shrugged, "I dunno, I was almost done until someone decided to get an infection worthy of Alkahestrical treatment."

Edward's lips clamped shut, choosing to ignore the other's statement in leu of the work of art in front of him. He knew that Gio would go places by his determination alone, but the boy would definitely be doing all that he said he would if he kept going at this pace.

"Where'd he run off to, anyway?" Edward asked, his shoulders slumped in boredom and fatigue, a certain feeling of isolation seeping into him. Mika definitely helped the feeling, his presence was enough to make Edward's mood lift, but Gio was gone and Mustang hadn't come to visit him in quite a while.

Mika smirked, drying Ed's back with a few wipes of a dry towel. Stuffing his equipment back in his bag, he stood swiftly, patting down his pants and shirt of dust, "Calm down Edward, Mustang will be back to visit you soon enough."

The blush that spread over Ed's face was enough to rival the sun, "Hey!" He whipped around, his eyes wide and aghast, "That's not who I was talking about! Mustang is a very busy guy, I don't expect him to visit me every second! Don't you have a leg to work on?"

Ed's ability to blatantly shift the subject never failed to make Mika smile, and as he walked past the kid, placing a hand on his head like one would do a child, much like Ed had done to Gio, he felt a warmth in his heart that he hadn't in quite a while. Maybe that's just who Edward was; a boy who had a knack of getting into people's hearts. You didn't have to spend much time with Edward to get to liking him, there were many people all over the country that would vouch for that.

When that Miles character had called for Mika, the man was worried, though he stood still and stoic just like the good soldier he was. But Mika knew that this was one of the many people that had grown to love Edward. Love was a tough thing when it came to Edward Elric, because there were many people that he would fall into that category with. They wanted to protect him, keep him from harm, keep that glorious and glowing smile on that face and keep that spark in his eye. Be it because of the past Edward held, his hardships and his downfalls or his boyish jubilance and carefree attitude, there were many that would protect him.

So, Mika smiled and continued out the door, hoping that he could leave before he fell too much into the world that was Edward Elric.

* * *

><p>"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Could you NOT do that, <em>please<em>!" Edward squirmed on his back as the doctor continued to poke and prod at his chest, making him writhe in pain as every stab of the man's fingers hit a sensitive spot, "You could, you know, try and _not _hit every broken bone in my chest."

The doctor smirked, sending Ed a glance over his glasses, "I'll make sure to take that into consideration, seeing as I'm not the one with the medical degree."

"Well, apparently not if you don't know whats broken and what isn't!"

"Edward." Gio leaned on the end of Edward's bed, his brows raised in amusement as he watched his teacher sprawled out on the bed, uncovered and only wearing a mere pair of boxers, "You should just listen to him. He's a doctor."

Edward sent a seething glare down at the boy at the foot of the bed, his eyes alight with fire, letting both of them know that if Edward were in good health, he would probably smack Gio upside the head, "You! Don't even speak! I still haven't decided what your punishment is going to be for your transmutation!"

Gio winced violently, looking away and down at the ground. He spared one, maybe two glances at his teacher, his hands tightening over the metal of the bedpost, "But I thought it was pretty good..."

"It was amazing, but that doesn't matter now." Edward sighed, running a hand through his hair, wincing with a pained grunt as the doctor didn't take his advice and jabbed another sore spot. He understood that this was protocol and that if he died of a massive infection then the hospital would be at fault, but that didn't mean it had to hurt so goddamn bad.

The doctor stood slowly, smirking in amusement at the glare he was being sent by Edward, raising a single brow as he held his hands up defensively, "Good thing you're on bed rest, or I might need the medical attention."

"I'm glad we have an understanding." Edward mused, letting his glare down in leu of a soft smirk.

The doctor smiled again, "But, it looks like your breaks have healed nicely due to Mr. Orken's help. We could really use a man like that on our staff."

Edward sat up, no longer feeling a shortness of breath or a restriction in his lungs, but there was still a slight burn when he took a deep breath, and if he moved around too much, he'd get winded easily, and his chest would badly ache, "Does this mean I can leave?"

"Unfortunately, no." The doctor shook his head and his smile held a more grim note, but he still kept the air about him chipper, "Mr. Orken has suggested to us that we keep you in the hospital until he's finished with your leg, and I'm inclined to agree."

"You could be inclined to let me out of here." Edward crossed his arms, trying with all his might to not let the pout he so wanted to show come on his face, but his shoulders did hold a particular disappointed edge.

The doctor placed a hand on Ed's shoulder, squeezing reassuringly, smiling, "The only reason we're keeping you here is because of the warning sent out, okay?"

This peaked Edward's attention, making him sit up and lean closer, his brows twitching down in interest, "Warning? What warning?"

"Oh, I thought Giovanni might've told you already." The doctor sent a particular look at the boy, raising an eyebrow, before looking back toward Edward, "The Aerugo border was breached not two days ago. There is rumored insurgents from Aerugo to be infiltrating Central, and while the military has assured us that everything is under control, they've put a curfew in order and telling everyone to stay inside until the situation is taken care of."

A bolt of shock went through Edward, and as much as he would have liked to deny it, his mind immediately went to Mustang. The man had mentioned that he was stationed at Aerugo, and that they had been having some trouble. Was that why the man hadn't been visiting? Soon following the shock at the news, Ed's chest constricted in concern.

"What about the military at the border?" Edward quickly questioned, sitting up in the bed despite the ache it caused his chest, leaning forward, his hands clenching at the blanket covering his legs, "Has anyone been injured?"

"Not that we know of." The doctor's eyes were wide at Edward's blatant worry, "No one has been injured as of yet, and the military is trying to keep it that way."

These words did little to ease Edward's worry, but he knew that Mustang could take care of himself, and there was little that worrying in a hospital bed could do. Ed barely gave the doctor a passing smile as he walked out, announcing that he'd be back later to do another check up. Edward stared at his hands, trying to think of anything but the news he just heard of. Gulping, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a small hand on his.

"Teacher, it's okay." Giovanni clenched Edward's hand in his own, looking deep into Edward's golden eyes, "Mustang is okay. They said that no one was hurt."

Ed smiled softly, a certain edge of his concern falling off his shoulders at the small show of comfort. Reaching up to gently tousle Gio's hair, he smiled wider, drawing his hand back, "Yeah. Thanks, Gio." He took a deep breath, letting his hand fall onto Gio's, looking back into that small child's eyes, "And, I have to apologize."

Gio tilted his head to the side.

"I never should have yelled at you for your transmutation." Edward smiled again, his brows drawing together, many emotions conflicting in his mind, "It was an amazing transmutation, Gio. You're progressing very quickly. I'm proud of you."

Gio gaped, his mouth wagging open like a fish, his cheeks flaming with a astonished blush, eyes wide and disbelieving. It wasn't just because of the praise (though that was a considerable part), it was the smile on Edward's face, like Gio had truly done something praise-worthy. The smile lit up his eyes, making Edward look almost radiant against the clear blue backdrop of the sky. His hair was flowing down from its constraining braid, and it fell loosely over his shoulders, random tendrils falling in front of his face making the ethereal beauty grow, the pure shine that was coming from Edward enough to make Gio's eyes water.

"I am sorry about the books, though." Giovanni dipped his head a bit, but his smile was breaking through regardless of his words.

Edward smirked, rolling his eyes, "You saw Mika fix them. It's okay." He took a deep breath, clenching his hand tighter around the small boy's, "But you do know what this means, Gio?"

Gio didn't even have time to make the confused face Edward knew was coming before he answered his own question:

"Things are going to be much harder from now on."

* * *

><p>Edward cradled the phone in his hands, pressing closer to the wall as he glanced over his shoulder, glaring slightly at the various other patients that walked past him in the halls. The only phone on his floor was located in the middle of a busy waiting room hallway, and he couldn't believe the amount of time that it actually took for him to actually get ahold of a phone, and even longer to try and talk the operator into connecting him to central. He only had to mention that he was Edward Elric and he had a fast track, making him wonder if he should start mentioning his name more often.<p>

"Brigadier General Armstrong speaking." The deep voice of his friend met him, making him smile, but his worry broke through that in an instant, making him grip the phone tighter.

"Alex, it's Edward." He spoke, almost pleased when Armstrong jubilantly greeted him, almost starting on a tangent of excitement at talking with his friend. Edward shook his head, "I'm sorry, Alex. I'm not calling for pleasantries, I need to ask you something."

"Oh?" Armstrong mused, his voice growing more serious as he heard the tone of voice Edward used, his brows drawing together in concern, "What's the matter, Edward?"

"I heard..." Edward gulped, pressing his forehead against the wall, trying once again to ignore the murmur of the crowds behind him, "I heard of the breach at the border of Aerugo. Mustang was down there, I heard. I know no one was hurt, but..."

Armstrong sighed heavily, and despite the uproar Central was in, he couldn't help but let his lips curve into a smile, "Yes, Mustang was down there during the time of the breach."

Edward's heard beat a little bit faster and it felt as though his breath was stuck in his chest.

"But Mustang was not harmed. He's only angry that he allowed any infiltrators through his station." Armstrong turned away from the phone for a moment to speak to another person in his office, before he turned back to his conversation with Ed, "But I'm afraid I must go, Edward. We're still trying to find the Aerugian spies, but it's been a difficult task to say the least. We don't know what they want, why they would possibly breach our border, and what they could gain out of it."

"Are they going to talk to the Aerugian Leader?" Edward asked, wracking his brain again and again for possible reasons that the other countries might want to break into Amestris, but his mind was too muddled with thoughts of Mustang and the warmth and happiness the information of the other man's well-being brought him.

Armstrong sighed, nodding even though he knew Edward couldn't see him, "We have arranged for a meeting. The Fuhrer has pulled Mustang from his duty on the border, seeing as they've already gotten through. They don't blame Mustang, but the Fuhrer has still assigned him to patrol on the streets."

Edward nodded, his brows set in determination, "Alex...do you have any idea of what they could want? What possible use they could have for this breach? What could be so important that they couldn't just get a passport and come in legally?"

"I don't know, Edward. It isn't like a breach like this hasn't happened before..."

"Then why is this time so important?" Edward asked again, his voice growing more powerful and his words coming quicker and quicker as all his thoughts were put into words, the thought's he'd been having for quite a while now. He knew the military, and they wouldn't be having this much of an uproar for a few Aerugian insurgents. There had probably been thousands of people that got through the border by one tactic or the next, and the military had never made this much of a fuss.

Edward scowled, his hands fisting tighter around the phone, "Why is the military focusing so much on these lowly Aerugian insurgents? They've never made this much of a deal about border breach before, Alex. I know something's up."

Armstrong's voice tightened like he was going to say more, but his breath caught in his throat, and he stopped himself, "Never mind, Edward. I'll come visit you before the end of the month, fill you in on more information. Goodbye."

"Wait, Alex!" Edward yelled, knowing that there was more to be said, but something was keeping Armstrong from saying it. Letting out a deep breath, Edward sighed and looked at the phone in his hand, before gently letting it come to rest in it's cradle. He was hoping that by some strange twist of fate, talking to Armstrong would allow him to be connected to Mustang, He just needed to know that Mustang was okay, but Armstrong's condolences were enough.

Sighing, Edward hopped around from where he was leaning against the wall, his brows drawing together again in annoyance from his obvious lack of leg. He still couldn't believe that Mika hadn't brought the leg in yet, and it was obvious that something was holding the man back. Mika had been acting differently ever since Miles came to visit Edward, right before Mika had to use his alkahestry to heal him.

There was something that everyone knew, but no one was telling him, and Edward was pissed. He was tired of being out of the loop all the time. Everyone, for his whole life, felt the need to keep things from him and hide the truth, but in the end, it always backfired and blew up in their faces.

"Teacher?" Gio sighed as he leaned against the wheelchair he'd been pushing for Edward, "What was that talk about?"

"Nothing, really." Edward sighed, hobbling back over to his chair before slumping into it, glad to get off his foot, "Just calling Brigadier General Armstrong about Major General Mustang's whereabouts."

Gio murmured again under his breath, turning and pushing Edward down the hall with little trouble. His teacher had been making him learn various physical work-outs, after he learned how tired Gio was after the book transmutation. Edward had then proceeded to go on a rant about if you're that tired after a transmutation, then where are you going to be in an emergency? Gio shook his head affectionately just thinking about it.

"I don't get the military, teacher. Why can't you just call people by their first names?" Gio questioned, turning and twisting down teach hall to get to their room, "Seems like a waste of time to sit there and say those long titles."

"We already had the talk about respect, didn't we?" Edward leaned against his uninjured hand, sighing, still in the back of his mind thinking about his and Armstrong's chat, "Just keep going and don't worry about that kind of stuff."

"Okay, teacher." Gio smiled, "Whatever you say."

"Damn right, whatever I say." Edward laughed jubilantly as he was pushed into his hospital room, the stiff and sterile atmosphere making his smile fade, and his mood worsen. It hadn't been long before even the courtyard in the hospital was too cramped for him, making him want to escape and go running. The doctor said that he was to be here only three more days, but that was four days ago.

"Teacher, it's okay." Gio sat on a pile of books as Edward wormed his way back onto the bed, sighing as he laid across the blankets. Gio rubbed his knees nervously, glancing up and out the window to the side of Edward's bed, "I'm sure there's a good reason why they're keeping you here. You can't exactly leave anyway, you haven't gotten your leg from Mika yet."

"Which is making me wonder why he's taking such a goddamn long time!" Edward squirmed around again in his anger, waving his arms about and flailing, his body's energy being stored up and needing a way to get out, "I can't do anything in here! I can't be myself. I need to be out, walking from city to city, seeing the people and doing things, I can't just sit on my ass and do nothing. This is like torture, I'm losing my damn mind in here!"

Giovanni sighed, standing up once again amongst Edward's ranting, walking over slowly, weaving in and out the various stacks of books. He could tell that his teacher was under a great amount of stress, various reasons making Edward restless and uneasy. Gio was sure the situation with Edward's brother wasn't good, he'd heard random snippets of conversation from others, and what he could put together was that Ed's brother was an asshole, and that was that. Not to mention Edward's leg, the hospital stay, worry over Mustang, and the impending thought of invaders from Aerugo. There was a lot to stress about.

"You worry about a lot of things, teacher." Giovanni jumped up onto the bed, twisting around to get comfortable, once again reminding him that he was only thirteen years old and he was in no position to be giving people life advice. But he thought that maybe this time could be an exception, "But it's okay. You just gotta think that you're gonna be okay in the end."

Edward glanced down at the boy, his shoulders drooping at Gio's words, watching as the boy shifted and thought over what he was going to say.

Gio shifted toward his teacher, leaning against the other in a sort of pseudo-hug, hoping that it was appreciated from Edward's side, "I've been through a lot, too. Not anywhere near what you've been through, but I just gotta keep thinking that everything is going to be okay."

Edward smiled, looking back up and away from the boy, his brows drawing together lightly. As he reached up to place his arm around Gio, slowly returning the hug the boy had been trying to initiate, he agreed in a way. No one got anywhere by bashing themselves into depression, and he usually wasn't a person to do such a thing.

Letting his arm drop, Edward reached up and tousled his hair, running his fingers through his own blonde hair, sighing, "I'm getting so crazy in here."

There was a soft lull of silence, of which Giovanni was desperately struggling for something to say or do so that he could console his teacher in some way.

"Teacher, how long have you known Mustang?" Giovanni's question was sudden, but Ed couldn't say he wasn't expecting it. He knew that it was probably a solid question in Gio's mind, how he'd become so close to a high ranking military official.

Laughing to himself at the memory of his and Mustang's first meeting, he shook his head, "when I was twelve, can you believe it? Nearly eight years ago, seems like such a long time."

"I heard you'd been in the military." Gio nodded, the obvious realization that Ed too had been twelve once shocking him. To Giovanni, Edward was a constant source of higher power. It was amazing to him that Edward had ever been that young, yet, he must've been smarter and stronger than all other pre-teens.

Ed nodded, remembering back, back on all the time that had passed, the life he'd lived, all that had happened to take him to the position he was in at this moment, "Went with my brother to meet him."

Ed heard his own comment even before he said it but he couldn't keep the words from coming out of his mouth. He could practically hear the questions forming in Gio's mind as the boy stared at him. The kid was too damn curious for his own good, he should have known by now to filter his words.

But it was a simple question that shocked him:

"Why are you and your brother not together anymore?"

He deserved an answer, one that Ed was afraid to give. He really hadn't admitted to anyone other than himself of what happened, no one knew what had transpired those two years ago. Edward sighed, realizing that that wasn't quite the truth. He'd told Roy what had happened, and that was purely due to his emotional state at the time. Roy had been the first person he'd run to when he and Al had the fight, and he'd nearly spewed everything out to the then-Colonel Mustang.

"I lost my alchemy." Edward's voice was tight and tired, his head leaned back against the headboard, his brows drawn together as he remembered the particularly painful memory, "I was in a bad mood, they should have expected it...

* * *

><p><em>"Ed?" Alphonse leaned forward in front of his brother, his brows raised in question as he tried to catch his brother's irritated scowl, "What's the matter?"<em>

_"What's the matter?" Ed scoffed as he wiggled his legs around, pursing his lips together and looking off to the side, the large open planes of Risembool looking none-too-comforting from his point of view. He'd met up with Alphonse again no more than two weeks ago, and he was still restless. Traveling over the Western country for the better part of two years had instilled a sense of urgency in him, so staying at the Rockbell house for so long left him antsy and uncomfortable._

_"Yeah, what's the matter?" Alphonse scoffed back and squatted for a minute, before dropping down next to the other, the wind ruffling his hair and calming him, but not offering the same condolence for his angry elder brother._

_Edward sighed again, reaching up and running a hand through his hair, before rolling his shoulder and turning away, "You heard what she said."_

_"Yeah, I did." Alphonse didn't deny it. He couldn't say he was particularly displeased with Ed and Winry's fight, seeing as it had clarified many things for him. It was no secret that he'd been pining for her for a while now, and seeing that he now didn't have his brother to fight against anymore, he could have the free space to come out with his affections._

_So, he lied, "She really shouldn't have said that."_

_Edward knew Alphonse was lying, he could always tell it from Al's voice. With their years together when Al was just a tin can, Ed had grown to be a master at reading Al's voice, seeing as he didn't have anything else of his brother to read. He could tell every ounce of sarcasm, anger, sadness, and even annoyance._

_And now, all he could hear was the complete and utter lie in Al's voice._

_"You loved that she said it." Edward scoffed, letting his anger get the better of him, something he was more than used to happening, "You agreed with every word."_

_"Now, that's not true, Edward." Alphonse rolled his eyes, already annoyed with his brother's behavior, trying not to let his small edge of triumph show through his voice. He lolled his head to look at his brother, "I do wish you still had your alchemy. More than anything."_

_"No, you don't, she doesn't either." Edward sighed and brought his knees to his chest, hugging them tightly as he fraught over everything in his mind, his teeth gnawing together painfully, "She said she was happy I lost my alchemy, can you believe that? You agree with her."_

_"For the last time, I do not!" Alphonse didn't even believe himself this time, looking over at his brother and only feeling a slight twinge of guilt at the look the older Elric was sporting. He couldn't blame Edward for being so upset about the argument with Winry, but he thought that maybe his brother would have gotten over it by now._

_Edward was over it, he truly was. The past was in the past, and he could do nothing to change it, but how was he supposed to forget it when it was shoved in his face on a daily basis? Edward sighed, "All I said..."_

_"Why are you so selfish?" Alphonse said suddenly, his anger spiking at the thought of Winry, the thought of her pain, the thought of his brother and how he couldn't get over the past, "Why do you do this to yourself?"_

_Edward gaped at his brother, being able to count on one hand the number of times his brother raised his voice. This wasn't the time, this definitely wasn't the time, especially when Al was in a mood to side with Winry, "Not now, Al, let's talk about this later."_

_"No!" Alphonse shot to his feet, his glare centered on Edward and his withdrawn position, feeling no more guilt for his brother, "You're just jealous! Jealous, that for once in our lives, I'm better than you! And you can't stand it!"_

_It felt as though the air was violently drawn from his lungs, and his vision hazed over. He expected those words from others, from anyone, but not his brother. His own brother._

* * *

><p>"...and I don't remember how long we screamed at each other." Edward sighed, frowning deeply and only sending a sparse glance at Giovanni, rolling his eyes, "And we haven't spoken since."<p>

Giovanni had never felt such anger before. It was strange for such an emotion to be in his chest like this, and it was so foreign to him that he couldn't quite place it at first. His teacher was in such pain, and there was no one there for him when he was in his worst time.

"Well, good, he's an asshole." Giovanni blushed deeper, his lips pursing together as he tried to form the words to comfort his teacher yet again, but was unable to come up with anything more civilized than that. It was the truth, at least he was offering Edward that much.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks so." Edward laughed to himself, shifting so that his head was propped down on the headboard, sighing and feeling sick to his stomach.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, we finally figure out what happened between the brothers! Thank you for reading, I hope you leave a review. <strong>


	5. Oppugnare

**Thanks for continuing to read! It really means a lot, and I always love reviews. **

* * *

><p>Alphonse Elric held the tiny hands in his own as he supported the small child on his feet, laughing along and smiling wide as his young son tried desperately to walk on his own. It was his fifth attempt, and Al was sure he was going to get it this time. He had the Elric stubborn-streak, and if at first you don't succeed, you might as well die trying. Young Hohenheim definitely got that gene of the family, making sure that he always got his way and nothing would stop him from achieving his goals. Blue eyes, adapted from Winry, were always stark and determined, always showed Hohenheim's emotions and glowed wherever he went. They were soft eyes, like Al's mothers, and he was always happy whenever he saw them.<p>

But the stark blonde hair, glowing brighter than Winry's and Al's, never failed to remind them that Hohenheim was, in fact, and Elric. No golden blonde could ever out-glow Edward's, but they always wished Hohenheim's was Trisha Elric's brown instead of Van Hohenheim's gold.

"Alphonse."

He glanced up minutely at the sound of his grandmother-in-law, smiling softly at Pinako, before turning back to his son, laughing when he tried to take another step.

Pinako smiled happily at the two, pausing for only a moment before she continued. With her mind like it was, it was a miracle she hadn't forgotten what she'd come in here for int he first place. She chuckled to herself again morbidly, "I've been hearing on the radio that there are possible insurgents in Central."

"Yeah, I've heard about that at work." Alphonse answered, swooping down to grab Hohenheim around the waist, pulling him up and swinging him around, "They say that the most shocking part about it is the uproar the military is causing."

"I was shocked about that, too." Pinako answered, strutting in slowly, having advanced to using a cane in the last few months. The slam of the cane against the hardwood made Hohenheim jump, before he wiggled out of his father's grasp at the sight of his great-grandmother.

She smiled softly, watching as the boy ran past them both to get to the kitchen where his mother was, "But I was just thinking that maybe you should call down there, ask if there's any possibility that these people could be as dangerous as they say they are."

"Pinako, I don't think there's any need for that." Alphonse laughed lightly as he finally turned to face her, his brows drawn in fatigue. His life had shifted to that of one that was relatively normal, and he didn't want anything such as border-jumpers or possible military-infiltrators to ruin that. After a life of wandering and troubles, he just wanted a normal life, and he had that now.

The woman wouldn't let down, though, as her lips pursed in annoyance and she strutted toward him with a particular slam of her cane, "Now, Alphonse, your wife is four months pregnant."

"Yes, yes, I know." Alphonse sighed, rolling his eyes at the argument Pinako never failed to bring up.

She continued though, "And your son is barely walking, not having spoken a word. What would you do if someone came to threaten that?"

"Pinako, I don't have time for this." Al sighed, running a tired hand through his hair, already shrugging out of his outer jacket he'd worn while out playing with Hohenheim, "You do realize that not everything is connected with us?"

"And you realize that I've sat here for years expecting everything to be! When you and Edward were out getting your bodies back, I worried about every little thing." She started, knowing that just the mention of Edward would send Al into greater hysterics, "You need to do the same. You have a family now!"

"I know, Pinako!" Alphonse finally let out, his shoulders slumping afterwards as he turned away, "I know."

He was already headed to the phone before she could say another word, wether it be to appease her for the time being, or to settle his own curiosity. They had been talking about the invaders at work for a while now, and while he himself was curious, he didn't want to run head-long into something that was none of his business. They were in close enough connection with the military that they would have gotten a call by now if they were in any sort of trouble, but Pinako still worried.

He dialed the number he knew by heart, hearing her thumping steps as she came to stand next to him.

"Hello, Brigadier General Armstrong's desk." The woman answered, sounding perky and cheery. Alphonse smiled, letting out a soft chuckle.

He sent a glance toward Pinako just to double check she was still there. If she wasn't witness to this call, it was possible she'd doubt it ever happened, "Hello, this is Alphonse Elric. Is Armstrong in?"

"Oh, yes, he just walked into his office. Nice to hear from you again, Al! How have you guys been?" Her voice picked up a few octaves.

Alphonse didn't quite want to admit that he didn't know who the speaker was, but he smiled regardless, "We've been very good. Winry's pregnant with our second, and it's shocking how fast Hohenheim is growing."

"It seems like only yesterday that Brigadier General Armstrong was going on about how tiny Hohenheim was!" She exclaimed happily, before announcing that she was patching him through to Armstrong, much to his relief. He didn't want to get to the part of the conversation where he would have to remember her name.

The phone was picked up and he already had the receiver a few inches from his ear for the possible blow out, "Alphonse! How long has it been since I've gotten a call from you! Much too long!"

"Yeah, it has been a while." He chuckled nervously, quickly trying to get to the subject before Armstrong pulled him into a conversation, "I'm sorry to say, but there is a reason I called -."

"Ahh, I was wondering when you'd call. I'm surprised, actually." Armstrong started, his voice much more somber as he nodded his head on his end of the conversation, his voice drawing out in a long sigh, "Though I'm glad you did call, Alphonse. Let me guess, Pinako talked you into it?"

Alphonse's eyes widened at the other's words. Was it really that big of a deal, the border-breach, that Armstrong was expecting him to call? Maybe Pinako was right, maybe the military had blown this out of proportion for a reason. There were dangerous people out there, and they were now in Central.

"Yes..." Alphonse answered slowly, glancing down at Pinako for only a moment before returning to his conversation, "She practically insisted. I have a family to worry about, she says."

"I'm so glad to hear you say that." Armstrong sounded almost teary-eyed, his voice constricting, making Al's worry increase even more, along with his confusion. Alex sniffled a bit as he continued, "I'd heard that you two were at odds with each other, I'm so glad that you still worry."

"Pinako and I?" Alphonse's confusion was slowly outgrowing his worry, speaking as he looked down at the elderly woman, wondering what on earth could have made Armstrong think that he and Pinako were at odds with each other. Better yet, why would Armstrong particularly care?

"But, let's get to the point." Armstrong made Alphonse come back to their conversation, "He's still in the hospital. The doctors are holding him for a few more days because his surgery hasn't healed completely, and they're worried that the extra stress could cause another infection in his lungs. The last one was hard enough to deal with."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Alphonse nearly had to yell to get Armstrong's attention, his brows drawing together in worry at the thought of who could possibly be in the hospital. Al chuckled morbidly to himself, "who are you talking about, Armstrong? I called to ask about the border breach!"

He saw Pinako glance up.

There was silence. Stark silence, a silence to make Alphonse turn toward Pinako and take a deep breath. He knew in the back of his mind who Armstrong was talking about, and as much as he hated to admit it, the worry in his chest magnified by a thousand. Hospital. Surgery. Infection. He didn't want to admit that his chest constricted. He wanted to tell Armstrong that he didn't care and hang up the phone, but he pressed the receiver harder against his ear.

"You didn't call about Edward?" Armstrong's voice didn't hold confusion but rather empty realization, his drawl coming out sad and morbid, but for a completely different reason than before. His voice was short.

Alphonse's lips drew into a thin line, his brows coming together angrily, his hand clenching hard enough to turn his knuckles white, "Edward's in the hospital?"

"What!" Pinako immediately screamed, her eyes wide as her cane dropped to the ground, clattering against the hardwood.

Armstrong nodded though Al couldn't see it. He more did it to pacify himself, trying to rationalize that Al and Ed were still at odds, and they weren't the close brother's they'd been before. Even now, years afterwards, it sounded odd and strange. He closed his eyes slowly, "Edward was in Ishval, helping rebuild. He was caught under falling debris. It broke a rib, cracked two, and his lung was punctured. It infected once, but they got it under control."

"What?" Alphonse groaned, trying to not imagine the event in his mind, "When did this happen?"

"Just about two and a half weeks ago, give or take."

Pinako listened silently as Al's conversation went on like this, Alphonse's shoulders slumping, his lips still pressed tightly. She knew that the news on the other side of the conversation weren't good, and the moment that Alphonse questioned about Edward being in the hospital, her heart nearly stopped in her chest. It was a miracle that Alphonse didn't hang up the phone the second his brother's name was mentioned, but he listened, only speaking up every once in a while. Pinako's worry grew with every second, her hand tightening on the wall where she stood. It was hard to take in, unbelievable that Edward would be in a hospital of his own will.

What could have happened? She closed her eyes and dipped her head, sighing sadly and mournfully. She missed Edward terribly, and writing was enough for her, just hearing how Edward was doing from time to time. The boy had become painfully distant, and she never truly knew the details of what had happened between him and Alphonse, but she didn't know if things could be patched. Edward could be brash and stubborn, being an Elric it came with the bloodline, but she knew that it came from both ends of the brothers to cause this horrible rift in their family.

Pinako's gaze quickly shot up when she heard the soft click of Al hanging up the phone, her worry increasing. Taking a hesitant step forward, she reached out to him shakily, "What happened...?"

"He says the insurgents are nothing to worry about. There was a meeting held with the Aerugian prime minister, and what they want is in Central. It has nothing to do with us." Alphonse quickly answered, his voice distant and his eyes not meeting hers as he reached down swiftly, picking up her dropped cane and handing it to her quickly. He was ready to turn around and go to his wife and child in the kitchen, but her stern voice stopped him.

"Alphonse Elric, so help me, if you walk away, you'll be leaving this house!" She yelled, her voice louder than it had been in years, her eyes on fire with worry and pure, unrivaled anger at Alphonse, "You tell me exactly what happened to Edward."

"They said he was helping in Ishval with the rebuild of the city." He started coldly, glancing over his shoulder at her for only a moment, "He was caught under some debris and he was hurt. He's been in the hospital for two weeks."

Her breath caught in her chest. No matter how many times she had to hear about what kind of trouble Edward got himself into, she always felt like she couldn't breathe when she did. Edward was always the one she felt the most worry about. Winry and Alphonse had enough common sense to take care of themselves, but Edward's common sense was replaced with brute passion and bullheaded strength. It always got him into trouble, so she always worried about him more than the other two.

She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, her gaze determined as she stared into Al's deep brown eyes, "You're taking me to see him."

Al's eyes widened and his cheeks immediately flared in anger, "What! You can't be serious, Pinako!"

"I am serious, Alphonse!" Her voice overdrew his and echoed down the hall, her anger and determination apparent, "You are going to take me to see him. I'm tired of you and your damned actions. You are taking me to see Edward, is that clear?"

The seething glare sent towards here was no match for hers, her anger seeping out in waves. He scoffed, turning back down the hallway, his shoulders square, but the dip in his head was enough to make Pinako know that he was merely going to tell his wife of the news before heading up to pack some clothing. He might not speak to her for a while, and Winry would most definitely be angry with her as well, but she was more than willing to deal with the consequences.

* * *

><p>Roy Mustang's hands were clenched into fists as he regarded the man in front of him with obvious distain. The feeling was mutual, as the deep green eyes common to Aerugian bore back at him. This was his second meeting with the Minister of Aerugo, and he couldn't say that he liked the man any more than he did before. It was this man's fault that the ten or so insurgents to breach the Amestris border had caused the ruckus they had, and it was this man's fault that Central was int he uproar it was. By word of mouth alone, this man had sent a proverbial time bomb into Central, waiting for it to explode. One word to a lower private sent a grape vine of worry through the lower ranks, and then the upper ranks, and then the towns people.<p>

"It looks like you've gotten your point across." Roy started, folding his hands together over his knees, "Now every citizen in Central knows that what you want is within their city walls. Congratulations."

"You humble me, Major General Mustang." The Aerugian leader spoke, a evil and sinister sneer on his face. His name was Irving Wellmire, a sinister man that had worked his way to the top with money and fear, "I merely wanted your people to be...on their toes, so to speak."

"Since they're already under duress, you might as well tell us what it is you want." Roy started, his voice tight in restraint not to yell. It was under his watch that this breach happened, and while Armstrong was still telling others that Roy had been pulled out of his duty and sent to patrol streets, under direct orders of the Fuhrer, he was still heading this investigation. It was news to him why the Fuhrer felt it necessary to let people assume he was put off his post, but he chose not to question just yet.

"Hmm, I might, seeing as my men are closing in. It's only a matter of time before they take what we need." Irving chuckled, reaching up to rub at his chin, "but really, Major General, I feel as though we should have a nice chat. All this worry is really unsettling."

"How about we start the conversation by you telling me what you want." Roy started again, noting with slight jubilance that there was a twitch of annoyance in Minister Wellmire's eyes at his words.

Wellmire shook it off quickly, tilting his head in the other direction, "wouldn't that be a short conversation, though? I was so looking forward to a talk."

"We both have work we need to get back to, right? You tell me what I need to know and we can both get back to our lives." Roy let his hands rest in his lap as he shifted around unnoticeably on his uncomfortable chair.

Irving chuckled, "I have all the time in the world, Mustang. All the time in the world."

Roy scoffed, turning to look around the room distractedly, squinting in the darkness. The room was poorly lit, the only source of light coming from the solitary window to their side, showing a room with a large table, of which they were sitting. Surrounding the edges of the room were various guards, both of Roy and Wellmire's. He glanced at Wellmire again, his fingers jittering against his palms, "What else is there to talk about, Wellmire? We could be talking about negotiations to get what you want, to not cause any more trouble."

"Oh, I assure you, it wouldn't be that easy for either of us." Irving chuckled deep in his throat, resting his chin in his palm, glee lighting up his face, "I highly doubt you'd give me what I want. Why do you think I resorted to infiltration, Mustang?"

"Because your society is one of brash outlandish hooligans that follow your every order to the last word without a thought of your own. You can't make whatever you want, you don't have it already, so you must take it." Roy smirked as he saw Irving's smile disappear, his hand tightening in anger, "Whatever it is you want, we have it, and we're not giving it to you."

"It is one thing to insult me, Mustang, but you don't insult my people. I didn't know you were low enough to stoop to that." Irving calmed, but there was still a tick to his brow that had Mustang realizing that he could break through, "Yes, you have who we want."

"Who?" Mustang leaned forward, his eyes widening in shock as he heard the words fall from Irving's lips, "You want someone? Who on earth could you want?"

Irving smirked, trying to play like he let the mistake slide. He hadn't planned on letting his plan slide so easily, but his men already had the time to get into position, and they were completely surrounded. He'd merely wanted to keep Mustang at bay for a while, and that while was up.

"Have you heard of eternal life, Mustang? I've heard that people in your country know how to make a mythical red stone that can cure any illness, bring back the dead, heal the weak." Irving's smirk widened when he saw Mustang's eyes widen in fright, his hands tightening on the arm rests of his chair.

That couldn't possibly be what Irving wanted, could it? Roy scowled. Was it Marco they were looking for? As far as Roy knew, Marco was the only one with a working and solid philosophers stone, but he wasn't in central. How had the Aerugians even heard that they'd created a philosophers stone? This wasn't possible.

"Not to worry, Mustang." Irving chuckled eerily to himself as he smirked, leaning further on his hand and tilting his head so that he could cheekily grin, "The philosophers stone, so you call it, isn't what we want. We already agreed that it's a person, did we not?"

"Who could you possibly want?" Mustang sneered.

Irving shrugged, "You must be aware that us Aerugians were never that avid in the art of alchemy. The Xing people have Alkahestry, Amestris has Alchemy, and I'm under the impression that Drachma has something along those lines, but us Aerugians? We've never been so lucky."

Was it an alchemist that Irving wanted? Mustang mused as he tried to calm himself down, but there was so much riding on this conversation. Central was starting to freak out, and it wasn't like it hadn't happened before, but the people needed to be calmed with some good news, and whoever the Aerugians were after, they needed to get them protected.

"I've heard that Alchemy is nothing short of magic. Turning grass into bread, water into wine, stone into gold." Irving's voice showed awe and amazement, his eyes glowing as he spoke of what the possibilities of Alchemy could be, "But there are some lacking skills, but those are made up for by brute strength."

Mustang didn't answer, regarding the man with curiosity as we went on, his ears perking to attention when the man started listing details and information about a person in general.

"This man, he's a hero of the people. We've heard much of him here in Aerugo. Amazing, the words we've heard of him over the country. He can bring people back from the dead, we've heard. He is a man of determination and strength, glowing like the sun itself as his power seethes through the ground." Irving smirked, his excitement growing as he saw Roy shift in his seat at the details. The man couldn't quite grasp who they were talking about, and that pleased Irving to no end, "That's just rumors, you see."

"Wellmire." Roy sat up in his seat, his brows drawing together and his fingers just twitching to snap and get this whole thing over with.

"He must be amazing." Irving sighed, ignoring Roy's words and dipping his head back, smiling to the sky, elated at the thought of the person they were soon going to have in their grasp, "An alchemical genius. We will soon have him, use his power for our own, his strength. Our land with flourish. His power is unrivaled."

Roy gaped, his eyes growing wide as he stood straight up in front of his chair, his hands tightening at his sides as he turned toward his guards, his eyes widening even more as he saw them slumped against the walls, already unconscious. He shot back toward Irving, his teeth tight together.

"His metal limbs stretch toward the sky and rival God himself."

Irving reached upward, stretching out his arms toward the ceiling, smiling jubilantly.

Roy sneered, his chest constricting painfully, his blood running cold in his veins, "You can't be after him! He can't use alchemy anymore, surely you heard of that!"

Irving only faltered for a second, smirking and raising his brows in amusement, "Surely you can't think I believe that rumor?"

"You believed everything else, didn't you?" Mustang didn't waste a second, his eyes snapping to the guards that had their swords trained on him, ready to strike. With a simply flutter of cloth, he raised his arm, snapping swiftly. The only thing the guards managed to do before the explosion was hear a soft snap, and the room was engulfed in flames.

There was a burst of commotion, and Roy didn't have to turn his back to look a the door to know that Hawkeye had already burst in. Roy knew that Irving was planning on taking out all his men and keeping them here, trapping them while his people got to Central.

"Mustang, calm down." Irving laughed boisterously, the flames encircling his chair as he smirked eerily, fingers playing on his chin again, "My men are already at the hospital."

"Hawkeye." Roy's hands tightened painfully, and the worry in his chest was so constricting that it nearly made him stagger and weave, "Get me a train to Central, right now. Have a car waiting there for me to take me to Central Hospital. Tell Armstrong and his men to get to Central hospital as soon as possible."

"Sir?" She glanced at him for only a second, her eyes widening at the look on her boss's face. She had only seen that look on his face once before, and she never wanted to see it again. His face was twisted and ugly, brows drawn together, his eyes wide and his hands shaking in barely restrained rage.

She nodded, before taking a single step backward, her curiosity almost making her speak again, but when she heard Mustang's quivering voice, full of bone-chilling anger.

"They're going after Edward."

* * *

><p>"Giovanni, go home." Edward stated, his eyes trained on the military personnel surrounding the door to the room. Armstrong was at the head, his arms folded tightly behind his back as he entered, his normally light and jubilant face hard and tight with stress, making the nerves in Ed's back tighten. Something was up, and that something definitely had something to do with him. The hospital had been in a complete uproar since yesterday, and Edward wasn't the only one who noticed. The nurses had gone on strike three days ago, and it was by this time that most of the doctors and patients had been transferred to a nearby facility.<p>

Edward hadn't been told a word, not a thing had been spoken.

Giovanni gaped at his teacher, nervously glancing from the military to his teacher, his hands shifting on the hem of his shirt. Even though he'd heard Ed perfectly clear, his feet shifted closer towards his teacher, his eyes forming into a hard glare. He'd met Armstrong before, it was hard not to, but he didn't like the air of the room around him.

Edward repeated himself, no louder, no more stern, "Giovanni. Go home."

"No." GIo answered, stepping even closer to the other, now pressed against the edge of the bed, mere inches from the blonde, "I'm not going anywhere."

The only sound that could be heard was the soft exhale from Edward, only a slight bit of relief sifting through his veins at Giovanni's stubbornness. It wasn't like he couldn't hold out against these people by himself, but it made it easier to have someone on his side in this room.

Armstrong was a subjective friend, seeing as he was friendly one on one, but when the military got involved, he had no qualms about siding with his job. It was understandable, but it never failed to leave Edward feeling suspicious about their friendship.

"Edward, we're here to put you under protective custody. You are not to exit this hospital room for any reason." Armstrong's voice wasn't as harsh as Edward thought it was going to be, but that didn't ease his worry any more.

Snorting cynically, Edward let his lips form into a sneer, his obvious dislike for the situation at hand showing clear as day, "I'm not to leave? Where do you think I am, Armstrong? Why don't you start by telling me what the hell is going on."

Armstrong's men shifted nervously, glancing at their superior, wondering what he was going to do at this lack of respect. Armstrong knew better than to assume that this was a blatant show of insubordination, but he still straightened his back and resumed his glare at Edward, "We are under orders not to let any information go. We are merely staying here and keeping you under surveillance for your own safety."

"That'd help if we knew what's going on!" Giovanni started to take a step forward, but a soft hand on his arm kept him back. He glanced at Edward for a second, before huffing, looking back toward the others.

"Have you been talking to Mika?" Edward questioned, his hand tightening over his port. It was three days ago that his leg was supposed to be done, and every time he questioned Mika about it, the man came up with an excuse about it. Now the man was nowhere to be seen, and it had Edward on edge.

Armstrong didn't even flinch, "Mika is still finishing your automail, Edward."

"Yeah, and it should have been done a while ago." Giovanni jumped in again, his lips pursing together in the face of authority.

Edward grumbled something under his breath, something probably along the lines of teenagers and their nosy and immature tendencies. Flopping back on the bed tiredly, Ed ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he was growing accustomed to ever since he entered the hospital. He was sure he was going to go bald if he kept it up, but something about it was calming. Letting out a large breath, he closed his eyes, just barely hearing Armstrong's answer.

"Yes, and due to unforeseen circumstances, his progress has been delayed." The answer was short and calculated, much like their entire conversation, "He should be finishing up today. I had one of my men go and check up on his progress."

"Today?" Edward continued laying, twisting around so he could get a good look at Armstrong, just a thin tendril of hope rising in his chest. He never got excited about things anymore, at least while he was in this hospital. This place was a permanent buzz-kill, and while the news that he was soon to get his leg was particularly good, he couldn't bring himself to do more than just smile.

Armstrong smiled softly at the boy, breaking their routine by showing just a small ounce of emotion at the man lying on the hospital bed, "Yes. Mika said that as soon as he's finished he'd head up here, but we informed him to stay at his house until further notice."

Yet again, the hospital seemed to find everything that was good and nice and burn it to the ground. He wasn't even going to be getting his leg today, and that was the only thing he had to look forward to. He couldn't even teach Gio today, seeing as the boy still needed practice on many things before they progressed much further.

"What?" Giovanni intervened once more, throwing his arms out in exasperation. He hated seeing his teacher this defeated, and while Edward was a long shot from being truly depressed, he still wanted this onslaught of bad news to stop, "Why can't Edward have his leg today? It's going to be finished, what's the harm?"

"Precaution." Even Armstrong was growing annoyed with this kid, but Giovanni didn't back down, his back straight, and for a thirteen-year-old, he looked almost intimidating.

"Precaution my ass!" Gio was held back by Edward again, the man swiftly sitting up, snatching the boy by the back of the shirt and tugging violently. A small squeak escaped Gio's throat, and as he fell back against the bed, lying next to Ed with only a few inches, he growled. Throwing a glare at Edward before turning it to the ceiling, he shrugged and crossed his arms, the intimidating image practically useless, "just saying. What's with all the 'precautions'?"

"They're the military." Edward answered, listening to the soft clomp of shoes as the military personnel entered the room, the harshest footfalls stopping at the foot of their bed, no doubt belonging to Armstrong himself, "They have precaution and protocol for everything."

"Seems like a bunch of bull to me." Giovanni turned his head to glance at his teacher, his lips pursing together when he saw Edward's eyes close and yet another sigh, "Aren't you going to do something? You've been here for too long and now they're forcing you to stay even longer."

"Believe you me, if I had my leg, I would have jumped ship ages ago." Edward's palms were flat against his stomach, his leg hanging almost to the floor, his stump shifting with anxiousness, "but if I want to learn more about what happened with Mustang at the border, I have to shut up and do what they say."

"Didn't they say that Mustang was patrolling the streets now?" Gio questioned softly, unconsciously bringing his voice down to a whisper, leaning forward.

Edward scoffed, not bothering to whisper, his voice just as loud and boisterous as ever, "You believe that? Roy Mustang would never leave his post as easily as that."

Giovanni sighed, smiling a bit to himself, "I guess you're right. Mustang's a good guy. If he were here, he woulda' told you what was going on."

"Maybe." Edward smirked to himself, not realizing a soft sheen of red went over his nose, "I'm not so sure. It seems like everyone's keeping things from me."

"Well." Gio frowned deeply, his brows furrowing together, even as he looked around at the men in the room again. He shifted around on the bed, trying to get comfortable and hide his blush every time his arm brushed against Edwards. Gulping again, he kicked his legs for a moment, before bringing his hands up to rest on his stomach. This was weird, he couldn't help thinking. He'd never been this close to someone before, lying on a bed like this, the warmth was radiating off Edward, and it was comforting in a way. Despite the fact they were surrounded by potentially dangerous men from the military, Gio was happy. It was nice, just sitting and not having to think about anything in particular, lying on a semi-comfortable bed with someone you care about.

That thought alone made Giovanni's blush brighten, and he couldn't look at his teacher. When had his awe for Edward turned to affection? He'd always felt a certain connection with Ed, from the moment they'd met, and Gio had never felt something like this before. Gulping and blushing, he turned toward Edward with confidence, his lips pursed together, "I tell you everything, don't I?"

Edward laughed, nodding and rubbing at his forehead, "Yeah, you do." Looking over at Giovanni, he shrugged, smirking to himself at the small blush over the boy's face, "Thanks."

"Yeah." Gio looked away quickly, blushing deeper.

There was a calm silence, a warm silence. That is, until Edward grunted deep in his throat, his eyes forming into a glare, "Hey! Isn't there transmutations you should be practicing?"

Giovanni was up and off the bed before Edward's swinging limbs could manage to hit him.

Edward sighed as he leaned against the back of the bed, the blanket thrown over his legs and his head tipped back as he took a deep breath. Stretching the fingers of the hand that was still in the cast, he grumbled again, trying to twist his wrist around within the confinements. He'd broken multiple bones in his life, it wasn't a mystery to him the feel of his arm being wrapped in this concrete-like fabric, but it was never comfortable, and he'd never get used to it.

Jerking his head to the side, Edward's ears perked up as he heard a small commotion in the hallway, his heart quickening at the sound of it. If his own worries were escalated when the men around the room tensed, and Armstrong raised a single hand to keep them at bay for the time being, even though his own eyes were trained on the door.

"Giovanni, come here." Edward stated instantly, drawing the boy back from where he'd walked across the room to start on his transmutations. He was at Edward's side instantly, standing defensively in front of the bed. He'd heard the commotion, and he knew that something dangerous was up in this hospital. The only thing he was certain of at this point, though, was that he'd protect his teacher with his life.

Edward's ears strained to listen, to catch a sound or a voice, or even a word as the voices grew louder.

"Just let me in there, goddamn it! I'm here to see Edward, I travelled a whole day just to see him! I'm not going to stand here and let you block my path, you ruffian!"

He smiled wider than he had in a while, his shoulders slumping from relief like water through his fingers. It was almost painful how tight his nerves had been, and now all he wanted to do was roll his eyes and hug the person on the other side of the door. One glance at Armstrong and the man knew who it was, his own fond smile coming to his face as he walked toward the door.

"Let her in." Armstrong murmured as he opened the door to the guard that was standing out in the hall, "But only for a moment."

"For a moment my ass!" The elderly woman wielding a cane as a weapon barged past Armstrong, stamping headlong into the room with a determination that only a Rockbell could possess. Edward figured it was only a matter of time before Pinako figured out about Edward's predicament, but for his own sanity, he really wished she'd learned of it sooner.

Pinako only paused for a moment, her mouth gaping wide at the blonde in the hospital bed. The other's had been seeing him for a time, so they were used to his battered appearance by now, but her eyes widened when she took in his form. Arm still in a cast laid across his stomach, dip in the fabric where his leg used to be, multiple healing bruises and scratches littering his form, obviously bad ones if they were still there after two weeks, and a single still purple and yellow bruise running the course of Edward's forehead. He looked terrible and it made her almost lonely.

"Edward." She strutted forward, her cane thumping against the ground as she forcefully pushed the strange and gawky boy standing in front of Edward's bed aside, reaching forward and taking Ed's hand, "I'm sorry it took me so long."

"It's okay." Edward smiled sadly, pushing the blankets off his lap and scooting forward, leaning down carefully and enveloping the woman in a tight hug, his lips quivering at the oh so familiar face, "It's okay. Just...thank you for coming."

"You look like shit." Pinako sighed into Edward's shoulder, not allowing the boy to relinquish his hold just let, her tiny arms holding onto him with impressive strength, "If I ever hear that you've been put in a hospital and haven't called me, so help me..."

Edward shook his head and his chest rumbled with a laugh.

"What happened to your leg?" Pinako asked as she slowly withdrew, not having missed the significant dip in the fabric where Ed's automail should have been, "What kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time?"

"It broke, I'm sorry." Edward smirked, his brows lifting mischievously, "Maybe your work just isn't good enough. It broke so easily..."

The loud whap that resounded the room made everyone wince, but the boisterous laughter coming from Edward afterwards made them roll their eyes. Edward rubbed at his head where Pinako's cane made a nasty dent, "Geez, granny, you never could take a joke."

"Not only do you insult me, but you sit here without a leg for two weeks?" She sighed, crossing her arms and shaking her head, internally wondering why she was placed with such a reckless boy to worry over, "But maybe I can talk Winry into making you another one, I don't know if I'll be able to make the whole thing myself."

Edward sobered slightly, his lips only twitching, wether at the mention of another leg, the possible disappointment he'd cause by telling Pinako that he was already being made another one, or the mention of how old Pinako was getting. It was probably a horrible mixture of all three. He laughed only a little, almost silently, "Sorry, granny, not this time."

"Hm?" Pinako ceased her internal calculations on Edward's new leg, looking at him quizzically, "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." He paused, shifting in his seat and glancing away for a second, "I already have another leg coming. He's a really good automail mechanic from Rush Valley, he's an alchemist, too."

They both glanced up at the soft squeak of the door as it slid open slowly, revealing the figure on the other side listening to their conversation. Edward's eyes widened, shocked at the very thought that the man would even consider coming to visit him. Gaping, Edward was almost too astonished to speak, "...Alphonse..."

Giovanni, sitting on the other side of the room, let the blue light fade from his most recent transmutation. The single word hit his ears and made him whip around, an unexplained anger sifting through him at the mention of the name. Turning to see the form standing in the doorway, Giovanni was pleased to no end that Edward and Alphonse only remotely looked alike. This was the brother that caused Edward so much grief? The anger surged within him, and he stood up slowly, not stepping forward but glaring with so much hatred that he was surprised Alphonse couldn't feel it on the other side of the room.

"Edward." Alphonse leaned against the frame of the doorway, crossing his arms and leaving the door open.

Edward grunted something under his breath before turning back to Pinako, smiling sadly, "Sorry, Granny. I didn't want to bother you with my troubles, so I just had Armstrong find a guy to make another leg. He's supposed to be one of the best in Rush Valley."

"What's his name?" Pinako asked slowly, not perturbed in the slightest that Edward would choose to go with another automail mechanic. She wasn't blind to the obvious tension between her granddaughter and Edward, and recently, she had been siding with Edward. Winry deep down had good intentions under her thick skin, but she could be sort of a pill sometimes.

Edward's brows rose curiously, "Mika Orken."

And when Pinako smiled, that devious glint in her eyes, hands twitching along her cane, Edward instantly knew that he'd made the right choice. Pinako didn't get that look in her eye for just anyone.

"Ah, Mika." She crossed her arms and nodded, smirking to herself as she remembered the young man she had met all those years ago during one of her trips to visit friends and family down in Rush Valley. He wasn't as old as her, probably a good thirty years younger than her, but he was already so gifted, "I met him when I was apprenticing a class in Rush Valley. He was only twenty years old, but he was already creating automail better than half the men I'd met. He's a very good choice, I'd dare say his automail is better than my own."

"Pinako!" Alphonse growled angrily at the bash to Pinako's automail, because in a roundabout way, it bashed his wife's.

Pinako rolled her eyes and glanced back at her grandson-in-law, giving him a pointed look, "You wouldn't know, Alphonse. Winry's automail is phenomenal, but she's the mere age of twenty. That's nothing compared to a mechanic that has forty years under his belt, and not to mention alchemical talents. Winry's automail is scrap metal compared to Mika's."

Alphonse growled a bit, raising up from his lean against the wall and turning away, walking out of the room. Edward sighed sadly as the door was slammed shut by his brother, realizing that no matter how close they got or how hurt Edward was, Alphonse would never do anything about their failed relationship. Edward hadn't even said a word and Alphonse had barged out of the room in a fury.

"Teacher." Giovanni walked forward uneasily, setting the intricately designed overcoat he'd transmuted near Edward, pursing his lips together, "This is for you, it's getting colder outside. I'm going to use the restroom."

Without a word, Giovanni walked to the door of the room, throwing it open and walking out before anyone could think of stopping him.

"This is very good, did he do it?" Pinako asked almost in a whisper, knowing that boy to be someone special to Edward. An apprentice maybe, she thought to herself, but Edward was never one who would take on an apprentice.

"Yeah. I'm teaching him." She didn't mind that her assumptions were wrong. Edward sighed and took the jacket, noting the fine details and the woven stitches. Giovanni had made this out of books, yet again, but he couldn't bring himself to be mad at the boy for using books as fodder. This was amazing work, Edward thought. It was getting to the point where Giovanni would be good enough to apply for the alchemy exam, almost. He was nowhere near it yet, but if they continued at this pace for a few more months, he'd reach it.

Edward laughed. Giovanni would need a better teacher then him. The boy would never advance if he didn't have solid examples, a good look at alchemy, a strong source. Edward couldn't provide that.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks again for reading, I love your reviews so please give them. Things are heating up! :)<strong>


	6. Consilium

**Ah, ha! Bet you guys thought I forgot! But no, here's the update. It's a teeny bit late, but it's here. Hope you like. **

* * *

><p>"You're Alphonse Elric?"<p>

Al glanced over curiously at the boy who had just exited Edward's room, raising a brow in question, "Yes, I'm Alphonse."

"Edward's brother?"

Once again, Alphonse was confused. He didn't know how this teenager was connected with his brother, but a smile went to his face anyway, trying to be kind to the boy, "Some would call me his brother."

"Okay."

The boy was silent for a moment, standing to the side of the door much like Alphonse was, standing and waiting. It was a few minutes that had passed when Alphonse saw the move move, shifting around for only a moment before pushing himself off his rest against the wall. Wide green eyes glared at Al as he walked in front of him, only managing to look slightly intimidating as he stood a good foot and a half shorter than Alphonse.

"You are an asshole." Giovanni started, his anger nearly overflowing as his lips formed a tight line, his hands quivering and knuckles white, "Do you know that, an asshole! You shouldn't even be able to call yourself an Elric!"

"What?" Al stood up straight, gaping at the teenager standing in front of him with the angry scowl. Al never quite knew what to do in situations like this, as he stood wide-eyed. He always prided himself on being a pacifist, so it wasn't often that the fight was brought to him, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Edward, asshole!" Giovanni started again, spitting out his words with a fury, "You are such a complete ass to him, and you have no clue what he's going through!"

A mixture of guilt and anger went through Alphonse. He'd always had mixed feelings about his brother, the words they'd said to each other. They'd always been so tight, and after what they went through together, they were the family that everyone thought would stay together forever. But it was astonishing how much damage a few words can do, how hurtful just a few phrases can be. Alphonse was hurt, hurt by his brother, but he was sure it was worse on Edward's end. Alphonse had thought about apologizing multiple times, but every time he went to the phone, he'd either think about his brother, or Winry would speak to him, and his anger would be reinforced with a vigor. Before he knew it, it had been two years.

"How do you know what any of us are going through?" Alphonse questioned the boy, raising his brows and looking away from those accusing green eyes, "Mind your own business."

"I am Edward's business!" Giovanni screamed, hoping that maybe Edward wouldn't hear him yelling on the other side of that door, "I'm his apprentice, and I have a right to call you an asshole, because you are such a dick, you asshole! Edward's lost everything, and you pushed it in his face!"

"I lost just as much as he did!" Alphonse argued back, trying to not raise his voice, trying not to validate himself on having a fight with a thirteen-year-old boy, "You know nothing."

"I know enough to know that you weren't there for him when he needed you the most." Giovanni took a deep and shuddering breath, his eyes already misting over from their confrontation, "Who gives a shit that you two had a little argument, he's tried to get past that! All you've done is push him away!"

Al glared, his voice caught in his throat as he tried to think of something to say. How could this little kid know so much? Edward sure was bearing his soul to such a small teenager, "It's not my fault if he's lonely."

Man, teenagers could punch hard. Al cried out, reaching up to grasp his cheek where Giovanni struck him, and could barely mask his confusion as the boy stomped down the hallway, his back arched in anger.

What the hell was that?

* * *

><p>He could see his breath as he panted, his legs aching under him as he continued to jog. It was a chilly afternoon, and his jacket was fluttering around him, doing nothing against the cold. He held a long briefcase gently against his chest, holding it as if it were made of spun gold and silver, which, according to him, it was. He could see his destination far in the early morning mist, and his sigh of relief was evident.<p>

The car's engine rumble grew louder as he approached, slowing his stride, before bending to glance in, "Mustang?"

It was only a man with spiked hair, a cigarette, and a smirk, "Nah, we're gonna go get him, though."

He nodded, opening the back door of the car, and sliding in slowly, his thighs and calves singing in happiness as he slid across the leather, settling the case across his knees. He ran his fingers over the metal happily, sighing at the gratification in his chest, glancing up at the driver of the car.

"Mika Orken, right?" Havoc questioned, not bothering to take the turns lightly as he spun the wheel violently, throwing the occupant of the car against the window, tires screeching against the concrete.

Mika thanked his lucky stars that there were no people on the streets tonight, or they'd be getting nowhere due to murder charges. Whoever this man was, Mika suddenly regretted getting into the car without first insisting to drive. Holding the case against his chest again as he was thrown violently to the other side of the car, letting out a loud yelp.

He was unable to answer, instead choosing to gain purchase on the leather he was currently sprawled out across. Scratch that, he regretted getting into this car in the first place without insisting to drive, and he regretted not immediately putting on a seatbelt.

Havoc merely chuckled as he laid his arm across the headrest easily, twisting around the steering wheel once more, glancing backward amusedly as Mika was thrown upright again, slamming against the door. Havoc turned back to the road, smirking around his cigarette, "Sorry, Major General's orders. Get to the train station ASAP. We got a hospital to get to."

He didn't understand why this blonde psycho maniac insisted on trying to talk to him, as every time Mika tried to open his mouth he was thrown across the car, leaving him practically speechless.

With one final twist of the wheel and a slam on the breaks, the car slid and drifted, pressing Mika against the side. With one final jolt, the car came to a slamming halt, dust billowing around the wheels and a soft sheen of must in the air.

The passenger side door of the car was thrown open and Havoc had his foot on the petal before Mustang was even fully in the car. Roy glanced over his shoulder at Mika, smirking at the image of the man using one arm to hold the long briefcase against his chest, the other holding onto the handle of the door, one leg up against the back of Havoc's seat, his eyes wide and his breath coming in heaving puffs.

"That's a good look for you, Mika." Roy smirked, laughing as Mika sent him a rather scathing glare. Roy's eyes focused on the long rectangular briefcase that Mika was holding onto like a lifeline, his smile disappearing quickly and a particular thump ringing in his chest, "Is that Edward's leg?"

"Yes, it is!" Mika nearly screamed as the car was thrown to the side again, tires screeching and bringing up more dirt as Havoc turned a sharp corner, "A-and!" He yelped as he tried to balance himself, "It's a work of art, I'd like you to know!" He gulped, his eyes wild, "Your man's driving is going to send me to the grave!"

"I thought it was indestructible." Roy smirked as he leaned back, "You would dare give Edward Elric a leg that would break from a few jostles?"

"No! But that doesn't mean I won't break!" Mika screeched again, watching in distain as Roy proceeded to stay completely stationary, "What do we need to be in such a hurry for, anyway?"

Roy didn't answer, his fingers pressing against his chin as he stared forward, his heart still thumping painfully. It seemed the closer they got the hospital the more it hurt, the more his feet wanted to move, the more he felt as though he couldn't sit still. Knowing that those men were in Central Hospital, finding Edward, that was enough to make Roy tighten his fingers in anticipation.

"Geez, you guys." Mika groaned, grunting as he was thrown again, watching as the hospital came in the distance, luckily for him, a straight shot, "all you do is stare and stay silent. It's obvious you're thinking about each other."

Roy just glanced over his shoulder silently, glaring for only a moment before he sent a glance toward Havoc. The blonde smirked, bringing his hand down and twisting the wheel violently, spinning the car around to drift in front of the hospital doors.

* * *

><p>Edward jumped as he heard a large slam come from the other side of the door, eyeing the door in question as he softly closed the book that had been in his lap. Giovanni had been in the bathroom for a better part of half an hour, and Ed was starting to worry in the slightest. The boy could act weird sometimes, he knew that, so it wasn't strange for Gio to do something out of the ordinary or on a whim.<p>

"Alphonse?" Armstrong questioned lightly, stepping around where Pinako was leaning against the bed, looking inquisitively at Edward's new port. Alex slowly placed his hand on the doorway, leaning forward, "Alphonse?"

There was a swift clap, and something churned in Edward's stomach as he saw the soft blue light filtering from under the door. It hurt so bad that he didn't even know what to do with himself, and he'd even begun to get used to it with Giovanni using alchemy around him so often. But that clap was his undoing, it brought back memories like a tidal wave. His hands clenched against the fabric of the bed under him.

The door was flung open and Alphonse was on the other side, his eyes wide, "Armstrong! There's someone..."

Armstrong's front changed immediately, turning to the men standing around the room, "Men, get ready."

The men outside the hospital room struggled against the hold they were put in, the blue light of alchemy creating things from the ground. Armstrong watched as they slowly were released from their holds, all of them holding at least three weapons, guns and swords alike. There was an estimated ten of them, tall and strong, all worthy Aerugian men, but Armstrong wasn't worried.

That was, until the men started talking. Shifting around, one of the taller men reached behind his back, bending down and throwing a small object forward, smirking before he reached to cover his mouth.

"Men, take them down!" Armstrong yelled behind him, tightening his fists with the metal around his knuckles. There was a particular urgency to this battle, and he would have none of his men slacking, "there are ten men."

Edward gaped as he heard many sounds from outside, the clapping pressure of Alchemy, the struggle of many men. Jumping up in his seat, he tried to look out into the hallway, but he couldn't see much more than the smoke.

Grunting as he slammed against the ground, partially glad that the hospital had already been evacuated, Armstrong tried to train his ears against the intruders, but the smog was thick, and these men were trained to not make a sound, despite how large they were.

He heard a loud clap, and the blue light of an alchemical reaction barely hit his ears. He couldn't see what Alphonse transmuted, but it shocked him that Al could even see what he wanted to transmute.

"I've opened a door in the wall. The smoke is going to filter out. You're positions are going to be revealed!" Alphonse yelled out, and even as he spoke the smog around them thinned lightly. This situation was very particular, and while Armstrong knew this would be no trouble for them, but within the cramped corridors of a hospital with Edward to watch over, it was interesting.

Armstrong slammed his fist against the ground, causing a loud explosion and showering large pieces of debris in front of the doorway leading to Edward's room, turning and twisting to try and find Alphonse, "Al! Get to the room, get Pinako and Edward out!"

"But Alex-" Al started, shifting and clapping his hands when he felt someone to his side, not having the time to produce a transmutation, instead using his fists to hit whatever he could, but the other got away quicker.

"Go!" Armstrong yelled, trying to keep at bay the silent attackers, wondering where his other men were. They'd disappeared into the mist, and now he could hear them, but as far as he knew, they were having no luck at all. They had no advantage against these guys, they knew nothing about the Aerugian army because they'd never fought against them before. They didn't know how Aerugo battled or how they thought, but they were in such a hurry for Edward's protection that they didn't have time to research the Aerugians.

As a man slammed into his side, he marveled at the strength of these enemies, his feet shifting from under him as he pushed back. They were strong, he'd give them that, and quick. The man shifted away from him before he could attack back, and with this smog, if he tried attacking with his alchemy again, he'd end up destroying the entire building.

Alphonse quickly ducked down under the smoke, taking a deep breath and moving forward. He could get to the room, but he could hear the multiple footsteps of maybe twenty people all crammed into this hallway, spacing all the way down to the waiting room. He didn't know which of those feet were allies, but he assumed all of them, because the Aerugians weren't making a sound thus far.

As he came to the doorway to the room he could see the soft light filtering from within, and he could hear Pinako's frantic voice asking what was going on. Cursing slightly to himself at the sound of the woman, he knew that he had to get her out of here, and quick. Clapping his hands as softly as he could, he pressed them against the debris, wincing with the harsh sound of the transmutation and the light that lit up the smog all around him. Due to his makeshift window, he could now see into the smog just a bit when it lit up, but he couldn't see much more than a few silhouettes.

"Pinako!" Alphonse ran forward into the room quickly, clapping and closing the door before any of the enemies could enter after him. He didn't miss the wide eyed and positively agonizing look Edward sent him after he transmuted the wall. The look was gone in a blink of an eye, changing back to Edward's usual defiant scowl, his brows knitted in annoyance at his inability to help in the situation.

Alphonse quickly reached down and lifted the elderly woman in his arms, taking her cane as well, ignoring her squawk of disapproval. Sending one look in Edward's direction, he strutted toward the far wall, keeping a good ear on the tussle forming outside, "I'm going to make an exit."

Edward flinched at his tone, wishing nothing more than to get up and go out there, help Armstrong against the people that were attacking the hospital. Were these the Aerugo insurgents that he had heard so much about? He was still confused about why they were attacking here, but it was lost on his mind as he nodded, turning his head away to not view the transmutation. He heard the sizzle and felt the cool afternoon air on his skin.

"Come on." Alphonse turned toward his brother, already stepping over the ledge of the hole and down the ladder he'd made, "Let's go."

Edward hobbled to his feet, but Alphonse didn't miss the shake of the head his brother gave him. Keeping a tight hand on the wall, Edward made his way toward the closed off door that Alphonse had put, placing his hand against it and closing his eyes. He hated asking for help like this, and the thought of it made him uneasy in itself, but he turned to Alphonse anyway, "Open this door."

"Edward, stop being the hero!" Alphonse screeched angrily, his eyes alight in fury at his brother, "There's nothing you can do to help them out there! You're missing a leg, idiot!"

"I know that!" Edward yelled back, his shoulders tight in anger, his fingers almost painful in the way they were clutching at the white wall in front of him, "you think I don't know that?"

"Well, then what the hell are you trying to do!" Alphonse growled, rolling his eyes at his brother, his teeth clenching as the anger overtook his previous worry for his brother, "Always the hero, Edward Elric. What are you going to do? There here to protect you and you're just going to run out there, fists flying? What the hell do you think you can do? You have no leg and no alche-"

"Don't even say it!" Edward yelled, his chest heaving as he took deep breaths, his mind overrun with anger and sorrow, the conflicting emotions in his chest as painful as anything he'd ever felt, "Don't you dare say it, Alphonse."

He turned toward his brother, trying to muster up the glare he knew he could give.

"I know..." He sighed deeply, his attempt of a glare only coming off as a scowl of hurt and resentment, "I know I can't do anything anymore. I'm useless without alchemy, Alphonse. I can't do anything for anyone anymore, what use am I? But I've got to try." He pursed his lips, "If not now, then what?"

Alphonse heard those words like a punch in the face. He could remember Edward's face all those years ago, when Alphonse was taken over by a fit of rage. They'd both yelled then, yelled and screamed about everything they'd held in their minds for all those years. Edward's look those two years ago was identical to the headstrong and almost broken man that stood before him, and he knew - Edward was still Edward. That brother that he'd loved those years ago, was still here, just it had taken him a while to see it.

A clap resonated the room and the smoke was billowing in, the men on the other side must've thrown another smoke-bomb. Taking a deep breath, Edward glanced over his shoulder at Alphonse, a small smile and a twitch of the brow, "Thank you. I'm going to find Giovanni."

Alphonse snorted cynically to himself at the thought of the boy. Nodding to himself, he almost regretted that he didn't get to say 'I'm sorry' to Edward before he left the room. For what, he didn't know, and he knew that years of resentment couldn't be cured just by a small conversation in a war-torn hospital. It took much more than that, and Alphonse wasn't so sure he could do it. He'd talked to Winry many times about the idea, but she was always adamant against it.

_He deserved to lose the alchemy. I'm glad he lost the alchemy. _

Alphonse gaped at the hole his brother just left through, his heart thumping in his chest at the memory of their conversation.

* * *

><p>"Giovanni!" Edward yelled out as he grunted against the wall, the whole hopping routine he'd taken gaining him no more than a few yards down the opposite hallway, but according to the boy, he'd merely gone to the bathroom, so it couldn't have been that far. He'd wished that they'd allowed Mika to bring the leg today, so he wouldn't be hobbling around like a damn pogo stick. Grumbling to himself, he hopped again, seeing the doorways leading to the bathrooms come into view, "Gio!"<p>

He heard the commotion behind him increase, and the sound of Armstrong's alchemical fist hitting the ground. The smog from the next hallway over was slowly slithering around his ankle, causing an uncomfortable chill to go down his back. As much as he hated to admit it, he was completely useless in this situation. He was a gimp in every sense of the word, and he didn't know what he'd accomplish by trying to find his apprentice by himself, but at least when he did find Giovanni, the kid would be able to use his alchemy to fend off the men, for the time being.

"Gio!" He yelled again, hearing a shifting sound coming from behind him, only barely being able to glance before he was tackled to the wall, pushed roughly against it by a mystery man wearing a cloth over his mouth.

The man started screaming in a foreign language, holding Edward around the throat and pressing his other arm into Edward's chest. Growling to himself, Edward surged forward, slamming his head against the others, punching his good fist into the man's stomach as hard as he could, before swinging around and bringing his hard cast down on the man's head.

Hey! Edward grinned triumphantly, looking down at the man lying unconscious on the floor. If that wasn't a ego booster then he didn't know what was. How great was he if he could defend himself, rather well he might add, against guys twice his size with an arm in a cast, no leg, and having no use of alchemy. Edward pumped his fist in the air once more, hopping down the hallway with extra vigor, "Ah, ha! I haven't lost my touch!"

Hopping forward again, he finally reached the restrooms, pushing open the door and peering inside slowly, "Giovanni?"

His voice echoed off the tile of the empty bathroom, the stalls of the toilets thrown open and the lights off, the dark room glowing from the setting sun outside. Edward's eyes searched the empty space quickly, not finding head nor tail of his young apprentice. With a sigh, he closed the door slowly, backing out with a few sliding hops, his hand still trailing the wall. Shooting a glance over his shoulder, Edward pursed his lips as the smog faded enough down the hall for him to barely see the outlines of the commotion going on. Armstrong's men were holding their own against the men, but they were having trouble.

But that's not what Edward was worried about. Aerugo was smart, they had one of the largest armies of the countries surrounding Amestris, coming close to outnumbering Drachma even, if it weren't for the sheer size of Drachma. Aerugo wasn't stupid, and they wouldn't send just ten people to get something they needed. Those men were in Aerugo military garb, so this was the work of the Aerugo army, and they wouldn't be so stupid. Ten men was ridiculous.

"Giovanni!" They could be around the hospital, where Giovanni was. Edward was worried, and while he knew that the boy could handle himself well enough, Gio wasn't as physically fit as Edward would have liked and while his alchemy was good, he wasn't the quickest. His lips pursed in nerves as he searched around the empty halls again, knowing that Giovanni could get himself into something deep this time. He also knew that he shouldn't be yelling, but he needed to find the kid, and quick.

"Go around the corner."

Edward froze at the sound, pressing himself up against the wall at the voices. He didn't recognize the voice, and his breath picked up when he heard the thumps of footsteps coming up the hall just down from him, slowly heading up to his hiding place. Edward took a deep breath, closing his eyes and listening closely.

"How are the men doing?" Another voice asked, this voice deep and foreboding.

There was a deep chuckle, and the footsteps slowed, "The men are doing their job. The military of Amestris is miserably predictable, they fell for our bait."

"Always, sir." The laughter met Ed's ears again and he shifted away slowly, knowing that if he were caught there would be no chance that he'd get away. The man continued to speak, "Sir, are we really going to find him? The Fullmetal?"

Edward's breath was stolen violently from his chest and his face went stark white, his eyes wide as he continued to listen to their conversation with bated breath. They couldn't...He took a shuttering breath, they couldn't possibly be talking about what he thought they were...

"Of course." The man answered, "High Lord Irving said it so. It's going to happen, we're taking our salvation."

"Yeah..." He seemed almost awe-struck, the other man, "Do you think he actually exists?"

"Yes...yes, of course." The man seemed as though he were convincing himself of the fact.

Edward's eyes were trained on the ground as the new information ran rapidly through his head, his eyes wide and terrified. This was so much more than he could have ever thought. This was more than keeping a little secret, they were keeping everything from him.

Edward was just stark still, almost to the point of staying there until the men found him, until he heard one of them grunt and sigh.

"What are we going to do with this runt?"

Edward gasped, his mind instantly clearing as he whipped his head to the side, golden eyes squinting as he saw a flash of color around the corner. He could hear the muffled yells of someone struggling against the men's holds, his hands clenching in anger. He put two and two together, and was instantly forming an idea in his head.

"Get rid of him."

They rounded the corner slowly, their faces coming into view as Edward stilled against the wall for only a second more. Their green and brown uniforms were almost blending in with the walls and the smoke, tight against their skin. It was no wonder they could maneuver around so quickly, their uniforms looking very sleek and strong. They were tall, almost incredibly so, which it seemed like all Aerugians were, and their chests were broad.

Edward pursed his lips before crouching down slowly on his one leg, fingertips gliding down the wall, his breath bated as he hid in the smoke below. If they could use this smoke to their advantage, then so could he. Sweat pooled down his cheeks and neck, and he watched with glittering yellow eyes and they walked mere inches in front of him, completely unaware to the fact he was hunched down. Giovanni was held in the shorter man's grasp, under one arm like a piece of luggage. He struggled against the hold, but was no match against the military official.

Edward slowly lowered his body to rest his weight on his metal port, pressing the steel against the ground. There was a soft click of metal against tile, and Edward smirked as the two men stopped in their tracks. Be it because of the failed comrade they saw splayed across the floor in front of them, or their military trained ears had heard the soft click, he would never know. He slid forward slowly, bending down on his arms and slowly bringing his other knee up to his chest, ready to pounce.

"What's going on here?" The taller man spoke, his lips pursing in a frown as he hunched down to check on his fallen friend, a certain edge of relief going through him when he saw his friend was still living. His fingers traced the ground, looking for any sign of who might've done this, glancing all around himself.

He was barely able to see the glowing glint of gold, a bare flash of a smirk, before he was tackled to the ground.

Edward reared his arm back, ready to strike the man with his cast, ignoring the dull ache he'd received from the first time he tried to use his cast as a weapon, and brought it down. His attack was cut short, though, as the man under him brought his fist quickly, punching Edward's stomach hard. It was usually something he could recover from, and while he didn't particularly like getting punched in the stomach, Edward could usually deal with it and get up to continue fighting.

But this punch was like a ton of lead, spreading through his stomach and into his chest, stealing his breath and making it seem like his very blood was ice in his veins. His eyes were open wide, mouth gaping, and with all his power he barely managed to take a breath before he was roughly shoved from the man. Slamming to the ground in a pitiful heap, Edward truly realized why they'd been keeping him in the hospital for so long, his chest constricting and tightening in pain, just barely lifting enough to let him breathe. His arm was throbbing in pain, obviously still broken under it's cast.

"Ouch! You little brat!"

Edward heard the crumble of a body falling to the ground, and the quick footsteps of someone running. He managed to open his eyes wide enough to see Giovanni crouching down next to him, and he smirked, pushing himself up with much trouble.

"Teacher!" Gio yelled, kneeling next to Ed and glaring back at the two who had managed to grab him. After his confrontation with Alphonse, he'd gone to cool down for a bit, and before he knew what was going on, he was caught between a rock and a hard place, almost literally.

"Guh, guess I should listen to the doctors sometimes, huh?" Edward chuckled, holding his stomach where he'd been punched, watching as both men started to slowly get up, one holding his hand where Gio had bitten, one rubbing back of his head. They didn't look too happy, either, as they immediately sifted the smog to finally find Giovanni and Edward.

"Teacher..." Giovanni gulped nervously as he backed up closer to Edward, pressing against him while he eyed the man advancing on him with wide eyes, "What are we going to do?"

Edward chuckled morbidly, his hands twitching on the cold tile, his breath still coming in pants although the pain of his previous encounter was slowly fading. Gulping once more, Edward tilted his head to the side with a smirk, "It's not what we're going to do, Gio. It's what you're going to do."

Giovanni barely sent a glance toward Edward, before returning his gaze to the tall man talking with the other for a moment, before advancing on them again, his strides purposeful.

"Run..." Edward pushed Gio away, struggling to bring his foot around and under him, to push himself up on the ground. He was tired, and his body was shaking more than it should, but he still managed to get his foot on the ground. His hands were planted in front of him, his knee pressed against his chest although the pain was flaring again, and he sent one last glare towards Giovanni, "run!"

And he launched himself at the man, twisting and using his shoulder, slamming the Aerugo attacker right in the sternum, making him stumble back and fall into his friend, both of the men falling to the ground in a heap, Edward right on top of them. It didn't hurt as much as Edward would have immediately thought, and instead of wasting time taking account of what hurt and what didn't hurt, he quickly looked back over his shoulder at Giovanni.

"Move!" Edward grunted as the man under him punched him square in the jaw, making him fall backwards on the ground, slamming hard. The man's comrade loomed over him, unscathed by the previous attack. The world seemed to slow as the man's boot connected with Edward's side, making him gasp loudly, his head thrown back in a silent scream.

Giovanni stood stark still, his eyes wide and scared as he took in the sight before him. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, and as much as he wanted to do something, his feet wouldn't move. He was petrified.

Edward rolled as much as he could, grabbing the man's leg with a pained scream, pulling and watching in satisfaction as the man went to the ground again. As long as he could keep this up, then Gio could get far enough away. Glancing back at his frozen student, Edward rolled his eyes, his glare evident as a thin trail of blood seeped out of his mouth and nose. He could keep this up, but if Giovanni didn't get his scrawny ass moving, he wouldn't be able to keep these men from killing him.

The taller man, his eyes enraged and his mouth formed in a harsh scowl, reached down and grabbed Edward by his thin shirt, wrenching him up and glaring at him, fist already surging to punch Edward in the stomach.

"You are brave, for such a small person." The man smirked, regarding Edward with a condescending tilt of his head.

"Who..." Edward pursed his lips, all signs of pain leaving his body immediately. "Are..." He slowly lifted his head to glare straight back at the man, his golden gleaming eyes filled with pure and unfiltered rage. "You..." He reached up to grab the hand holding his shirt. "Calling..." He finally met the other's eyes, his purely evil smirk stretching across his face as his eyes darkened.

With one final breath, he surged forward, slamming his head against the man's with all his power, at the same time reaching back and slamming the man across the temple with his cast, with a final bellow of: "Small!"

As Edward crumpled into a heap in the ground, he lost the feeling in his arm, and his head was throbbing painfully, but he was rather proud of himself. He was sure that the men down the hall fighting Armstrong's men had heard his yell, and it would be a matter of time before they came to help their comrades.

"Giovanni!" Edward yelled at the still petrified boy, slamming his good hand on the ground loud enough to make Giovanni snap to attention. He glared, his eyes hard and determined as he rode through his waves of pain, "Listen to me, okay? Listen."

Gio shakily nodded his eyes still wide.

"You need to go, okay?" Edward gasped as he felt his chest tighten, blood still pouring from his nose, even as he swiped at it angrily, "You need to go and find someone. Get help, okay, Gio?"

Giovanni gulped, before shaking his head from side to side, his hands clenching in front of him tightly, "No! I can't...I can't just leave you here!"

"Yes, you can!" Edward sighed, his hand clenching tightly as his other was practically immobile by this point, "I'm useless to you now, Gio. You need to go. You need to get out of here while you can, get help, okay?"

"But..." Gio couldn't take his eyes from the form of his teacher, fear and anger sifting through him as he saw Edward's now dead arm, face covered in bruises, bleeding and breathing softly and painfully, crumpled on the ground. He was obviously injured, but his eyes told Gio that the pain was nothing, he'd felt much more pain than this before. But more than anything, there was a spark of protection in Edward's eyes that Gio couldn't comprehend.

"If you want to help me, you'll go get someone." Edward's brows drew together, his breath coming out in gasps. He smiled softly, snorting cynically as he looked at the boy, wanting nothing more than for Gio to get the hell out of here and save himself, "Please, get out of here."

His eyes clenched shut painfully, a thousand thoughts were racing through his head. It felt as though his blood was ice hold, every fiber of his being was shaking violently, his breath was tight in his chest. It hurt, every part of him. But even as he clenched his teeth and shook his head painfully, his body was already turning around, sprinting down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Edward jumped when he felt a hand on his cheek, his eyes shooting open, gasping as much as he could although it felt like his lungs were made of lead. His vision was fuzzy, so fuzzy in fact that he could see no more than a few blurry outlines and splotches of people standing over him. His throat tightened, seeing a flash of green, military garb of Aerugians. He brought his hand up tiredly, trying to swing at the men in front of him.<p>

"Edward!"

He gasped, his eyes clearing a bit the more he blinked, his breath slowing as he saw the forms of blue and black appear, before the calm and warm eyes of Roy Mustang appeared in front of him. It was astounding how happy he could get just by looking in those eyes, feeling those warm hands on him, and seeing the soft and concerned glint in Roy's eyes.

"Roy..." Edward gasped, his chest rattling as he let out a strangled chuckle, his eyes falling closed as his whole body fell into his sigh of relief, "Dear god, I thought you were one of the Aerugians."

"Edward..." Roy couldn't describe what he was feeling, not to a good extent anyway. They'd entered the hospital in a rage, to find most of the Aerugo insurgents already taken care of, but Edward's room was empty. It scared him, more than he'd like to admit, and finding the man sprawled in a hall like this, bleeding and partially unconscious, he almost lost it.

Edward felt those warm hands on him again, and he let out another sigh, this time one of happiness and joy, those hands taking away his pain. He opened his eyes again, meeting Roy's, smiling as the man leaned over him, closer. He tilted his head to the side, every bone in his body either in pain or completely immobile, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard that they'd attacked the hospital." Roy chuckled, not bothering at all that his hands seemed to have a mind of their own, and were glued to Edward, "came to see if you could take care of yourself. Did a pretty good job, Elric."

"Damn good job." Edward groaned as he attempted to lift himself, but it was as if his bones were made of jello, and not the good kind. He groaned, wiggling around on the ground, his uncomfortable glare landing on Roy, "Wanna help me up, Major General?"

Roy pursed his lips, shaking his head and glancing down Edward's body, noticing how the cast on his right arm was completely cracked and torn, the whole arm loose and unmoving. The blood on Edward's lips was still wet, but drying, and his breath was shaky, at best. Roy's voice was much quieter when he answered, low and worried and strained, "What...what happened?"

Edward sobered as well, slumping back against Roy's arms, which were slowly making their way around Edward's shoulders and waist, keeping him up and off the ground, "It...It's a long story."

"Edward..." Roy tightened his arms a fraction around the other, his hand drawing through the golden locks, staring straight into those deep and glowing golden eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner..."

Edward shook his head, trying to pull off an indignant look while his face was covered in a deep and glowing flush, "I handled it...plus, you have business for yourself to deal with, right?"

"You are my business, Ed." Roy shook his head, his heart almost stilling when Edward raised a single and quivering hand to rest on his chest, "Ed...I should have been here sooner."

"It's..." Ed's lips pursed together, nervously keeping eye contact with Roy, although the other man's gaze was intense and piercing, "Umm...I mean..."

Roy smirked, his heart swelling at how adorable the man was, before moving forward again. His heart and mind were swimming, but if there was one thing shining true through all of it, it was that he had to do this. He might not get another chance for a while, and it was as though his whole body was screaming at him.

As Roy slowly pressed his lips against Ed's, it felt as though it was the one right thing he'd done in a while. It was soft and sweet, his eyes fluttering closed, his body thrilling when he felt Edward softly press against him. The hand on his chest tightened and pulled, gently, making his whole body sing.

Ed, on the other hand, felt as though all the pain in the world couldn't compare to the sheer amazingness that was this kiss. He'd never been one for sap stories, and while he'd been interested in Winry for a while, the idea of a romantic relationship with anyone hadn't been that forefront in his mind, that is...until Roy started to come and see him. This kiss was everything he'd heard a kiss should be like, amazing and powerful and soft, and while the situation and place weren't ideal, he couldn't imagine anything better. The broad shoulders under his hand and the warm and strong arms holding him up were empowering, and he felt completely at Roy's will. Roy's lips moved against his, and he finally had the thought to push back, succumbing to the kiss and pressing against it, forgetting what was all around them in leu of the amazing man that actually wanted to hold and kiss him.

"Ahem."

Edward froze, slowly pulling back from the kiss, his lips already feeling cold from the loss, and glanced over Roy's shoulder, his eyes widening in shock and mortification as he saw Mika standing not two feet behind him.

"As much as this moment calls for an 'I told you so', I'll hold back." Mika rolled his eyes, shifting to hold the metal case closer to himself, glancing around almost nervously, "Now, I suggest we get somewhere safe, away from Aerugian invaders, perhaps? I've got a leg to attach."

Yet another piece of good news in a sea of bad, Edward smiled brightly at the mention of his leg, glad to get back on his own two feet. He glanced at Roy once, a smile and a blush covering his face, before he allowed the other man to raise him to a seated position, his face contorting into a grimace.

"I don't think I can walk." Edward chuckled softly, his hands shaking as he tried to take in a deep breath without much trouble, hoping that Roy didn't notice most of his pain. He shrugged, "I mean, the whole no leg thing is putting a dampen on my strutting skills, but that beating I took makes it hard to do anything in general."

Roy didn't like hearing that at all, if the constriction in his chest was enough to go by. Quickly swooping down and encircling his arms under Ed's knee and shoulders, he lifted the small man in his arms, standing on steady feat, although his heart was anything but steady.

Edward closed his eyes as his head swam when Roy lifted him, his chest screaming at him. He couldn't bring himself to argue to Roy about the way he chose to carry him, because he didn't mind and he didn't really think he could get himself around any other way. But his face still flushed again, despite his best efforts, and he shot his gaze to Roy, who was sporting a rather amused and smug smirk.

Leaning against the broad chest, Edward took a few deep breaths, both to get his lungs to stop aching and for the blush to fade off his face. The embarrassment was a good distraction for the pain, which was slowly creeping back into his mind. His arm in the cast was numb, and as he held it delicately to his chest, he knew that more than a cast would be needed to fix it this time. His lungs were aching as well, and every once in a while he'd get a mouth-full of blood that was getting harder and harder to hide from the others.

"Edward." He jumped again, his eyes taking another moment to focus as he took in the darkened room, a storage room by the looks of it. He was on the ground, sitting next to Roy, partially leaning against the man. Mika kneeled in front of him, his brow drawn in worry, "Are you alright, Edward?"

"Yeah, fine..." Edward shook his head, blinking heavily for a moment, before shifting to get a better purchase of his seat, absently leaning heavier against Roy, "Where are we? I don't remember getting here."

"It's just a small storage room on the other side of the hospital." Roy answered, slipping his arm around Ed's waist, his hand squeezing at the boy's hip, "You went unconscious for a while."

"I need to attach your leg." Mika's voice was hesitant, but he took no time in kneeling at the blonde's side and setting the case down, clicking open the latches and slowly pushing open the case, acting as if the contents were made of glass.

The room they were in was dark, but Ed could still see the glint of the metal as Mika took it from the case, his hands running over the smooth limb. Even Edward was dumbfounded, looking at the leg, the metal gleaming in the dull light. It was sleek but sharp, bold but subtle, making Edward wonder at how astonishingly different two seemingly similar things could be so different. This automail was sophisticated and strong.

"Whoa..." Roy voiced his sentiments, leaning forward with wide eyes as Mika brought down the limb. There were fine engravings along the flat of the metal, twisting with the metal and forming along the back, and right on the flat of the kneecap was a intricate transmutation circle.

"I'm sorry for the engravings, I always try and add an artistic flare." Mika laughed, but even that couldn't lighten the mood. He'd hoped there would be a more acceptable unveiling of his work, but he guess he couldn't be picky in these types of situations. Plus, the awe in Ed and Roy's eyes was enough to boost his ego for the time being.

He chuckled at Ed's raised brow, "Okay, okay, that's not all. This will make it stupendously easy for me to repair."

Edward definitely liked the sound of that. The leg looked like it was made of silver, strong and amazing, just what he needed in a situation like this. He couldn't wait to get out there and kick some Aerugian ass.

Mika shifted around until he was kneeled in front of Edward, the leg poised at the port, aimed to attach. He was hesitant, almost, and he could feel his fingers start to grow damp on the metal. Edward was injured, his lungs were infected, his arm was probably broken again, and not to mention there was a slew of other possible problems. So, needless to say, Mika was hesitant. Did Edward need this leg that badly? So badly that they couldn't wait until this whole fiasco was over with?

"Hey..." Edward leaned forward, his brows knitting together as he watched the play of emotions over Mika's face, feeling a nervous tinge of his own, "What's wrong?"

"I just..." Mika shook his head, but took a deep breath. He had to do this, this was Edward Elric, and he was sure he'd get his ass handed to him if he kept the great Elric from his leg any longer. He met Ed's eyes with confidence, his hands tight on the automail, "I'm afraid you might go into shock when I attach the leg."

"W-what?" Ed gaped, his chest constricting again. He could feel Roy still next to him.

Mika shook his head, almost jumping out of his skin when he heard the sounds of commotion outside of the room. No, this was no place to sit and have a chat. His breath caught in his throat and his teeth clenched, but it was a split second decision that he had to make, he had no time to weigh the consequences.

So, with a quick shove, Mika attached the leg to the port, snapping it into place.

One hand raised to muffle his own scream as Edward's breath left his chest. He never remembered the attachments being this painful, his whole body quivering, feeling as though every nerve was on fire. He couldn't take in any breath, his skin felt clammy and dry, but he could feel Roy's hands on his body, pressing against his chest and neck.

"Dammit!" Mika cursed himself as he watched Edward's body constrict, moving forward and pressing his fingers to Ed's neck. His movements were swift as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen, biting off the cap and looking at Roy, "take off his shirt."

Roy didn't have the time to be embarrassed as he grabbed the hem of Edward's shirt, his hands shaking as he saw the sweat pooling on the man's chest, Ed's chest raising in quick and short intervals. Ripping open the front of Ed's shirt, he quickly replaced his hands on Ed's cheek and neck, trying to look the other in the eye while keeping his own distress at bay.

All the while, hearing the subtle sounds of the enemy outside their door, searching them in the blackened halls.

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><p>The choice to go back for his teacher was decided when Giovanni was standing in between the main gates of the hospital, his shoulders shaking as he looked up toward the sky. He'd been standing there for the better part of five minutes, but the entire time was spent in anguish and guilt. He'd really just abandoned his teacher, the only man to look at him like he meant something, the only man to take him under his wing and teach him.<p>

And he'd abandoned him.

So, the decision to go back was an easy one. He'd just drag his teacher out if he had to, despite the probable uproar his teacher would cause. He didn't care, Edward needed to get out of there, and as far as Giovanni knew, he was the only one who could help him.

So Giovanni ran forward, away from the hospital, his mind set as he sprinted down the streets. Never before had he been more grateful to live a single block away from the hospital, that meant he could run home and back in ten minutes.

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><p><strong>Ooh, whaz gonna happen? The suspense is killing me, guys! I can't handle it! Thanks for reading. <strong>


	7. Transmutatio

**Okay, I decided to put up this chapter in the morning so that I could see all your wonderful reviews when I got home from work! Please review, that would make my day so much brighter!**

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><p>Edward really wanted to know where he went wrong in his life. He always seemed to get himself into certain situations out of his control, most of which ended with him in some sort of physical pain. Nothing could rectify this strange fate he always had, but he kind of wished he could spend a nice afternoon <em>not <em>in pain.

When he woke from the pain induced stupor attaching the automail had put him into, he immediately swore, growled, and started looking around for a possible escape route. He was still in the old store room he'd fallen unconscious in, so that meant he hadn't been asleep for that long.

"Hey, sleeping beauty finally decides to awaken." Roy tried to form a joke in order to mask his own worry, but it failed miserably as his brows drew together, his eyes rimmed in red from fatigue, "how are you feeling?"

Edward liked waking up and having Roy be the first thing he saw, despite how corny and cliche it seemed. He'd fallen unconscious two times in the past two hours, and Roy was always his first sight, and it never failed to comfort him. Roy was leaned over him, his warm hands comforting covering Ed's, "I feel like a hundred bucks, how about you?"

"Oh, I'm glad you feel so good, because I feel like shit." Roy laughed, slumping from fatigue, his shoulders slumping in relief from Ed's waking up. Attaching the leg while Ed was in such a condition was a rash thing to do, but it had to be done. Mika couldn't be running around this war-zone holding onto the briefcase for dear life, and Roy needed to be ready to fight, not holding Edward up as he hobbled around. It wasn't an option.

Edward sat up slowly, almost wincing in anticipation of the pain that was sure to sweep his body, but was pleasantly surprised to only feel minor tinges and a slight loss of breath, but nothing compared to the pain he'd felt before he fell unconscious. Sending a single glance toward Roy, he raised a brow, placing his good hand over his chest in wonder.

"Mika." Roy shrugged, gesturing to Edward's chest, and the giant and intricate Alkahestrical transmutation circle drawn upon it. They were leaning against the back wall, large shelves of medical equipment towering over them, but it was almost comforting, the shield they created around the two.

It was silent for the most part outside, but Edward could see smoke seeping under the door, and knew it wasn't over yet. He hadn't been unconscious for more than twenty minutes, and the invaders were taking their time, but they hadn't gone yet. They wouldn't stray from their objective for much longer.

"Where is he?" Edward noticed the definite absence of the man, but wasn't too perturbed by it, seeing as Roy was rather calm about the situation.

"Present!" Mika peeked his head around a large shelf of tools, his smile gleaming as he saw Edward was sitting up and healthy looking, and the sense of humor coming from the injured man was definitely a plus, "I was just checking to see if there's any medical supplies that I could use to heal you up any better."

"I thought you already had." Edward leaned against the back wall, his body feeling limp and clammy, it was almost like he couldn't control his own limbs, but he wasn't in pain, "I don't feel anything at all."

"Ahh, but that is the magic of morphine, my young man." Mika laughed, going back to his search, his voice light and airy but Edward could tell that was just a cover. He could still remember Mika's warning before he'd gone unconscious, and he concluded that he must've gone into shock. It must've been bad if it was severe enough to require morphine, and that must also be the reason Edward couldn't really feel his arms.

Edward shrugged, trying to move around his arms and legs, marveling in astonishment as he saw the automail of his leg shift and move as he willed. It was amazing to have a new leg, and it was simply beautiful. He could almost feel the shift of the metal, and as he ran his fingers over it, watching as each toe shifted and his knee bent perfectly, he wondered how he could have ever lived without a leg.

"It's nice." Roy shifted so he sat just a bit closer to Edward, their arms brushing together as Roy satisfied his own curiosity, running his fingers over the metal of the leg and soothing it down, "How does it feel?"

"Amazing." Edward laughed just a bit, his eyes shifting over so he was looking at Roy, deep yellow glittering in mirth as he practically glowed in happiness, "It's so amazing."

"Yeah." Roy mused, pulling his arm back and leaning back against the wall again, watching as Mika sifted amongst the various objects again. They were planning on exiting the room in just a couple minutes, hoping that the majority of the Aerugian soldiers would be gone out of this section of the hospital by that time.

Roy couldn't keep his eyes off Edward, thinking back to that kiss every couple of minutes, wondering what had come over him at that moment. Why had he kissed Edward? It wasn't like he hadn't thought of doing it before, and he wasn't regretful of it in the slightest, but it wasn't the time nor the place, and he wasn't even sure Edward returned his feelings. He had felt Edward kiss back, but it might have been a figment of his imagination.

"Stop thinking." Edward sighed as he slumped backwards, falling to the side against the Major General and leaning his head on Roy's shoulder, shifting around until he was comfortable, "I kissed back, so stop fretting about it."

Roy laughed, shifting himself so his arm was slung around Ed's waist, the two fitting together like two puzzle pieces, perfect and snug, "That's a relief, I would have hated to forcefully kiss a cripple."

Edward just snorted, not taking the comment to heart, "Oh, yeah, like I would have let you if I didn't want it."

Roy stilled at the comment, his lips pursing together as he held Edward just a bit tighter, tilting his head to brush his lips against Edward's hair, kissing it softly and closing his eyes, "...You're telling the truth? You wanted it?"

"I wanted it from the moment we sat together under that damned tree." Edward was glad Roy was in such a position that he couldn't see his face, for he would have seen Ed's furious blush, and he really didn't need that mocking that would ensue, "I...I don't know when I started feeling what I do, I just know that it's you I feel it for. Call me stupid or immature, but I feel that if you feel this way for someone, then you should act on it."

Roy laughed, but he couldn't stop his heart from beating loudly in his chest, and he almost wanted Edward to hear it, just so the man could confirm he felt the same way, "We've been through so much together, but it was still shocking to me when I started to want to see you, wanted to see your face and hear your voice."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to write that down. Major General Mustang wants to hear my rants about people calling me short." Edward laughed, shifting around so that he could better see the Major General, his eyes glittering in amusement as his lips curled into a devious smirk, although their proximity made a gentle flush cover his cheeks, "I now have blackmail over you, Major General."

"I'll be sure to do whatever you say, then." Roy mused, forming a smirk of his own as he slowly lent down, resting his forehead against Ed's, his fatigue making his breath slow as his body slumped. Today had been one of the worst and best days of his life, for he had been through more stress and worry than he'd like to admit, but he'd also finally admitted the feelings to Edward, feelings he'd been holding to himself for the last few years. He'd like to say these emotions had just revealed themselves in the last month, but he knew the tightening in his chest every time he saw Edward over the last years wan't anger or annoyance.

Their small moment of relaxation, the time they had to forget the world outside them and bask in the feeling of the other's warmth, was allowed for a few more minutes. They were not interrupted until ten minutes later, both of them on the edge of sleep, their bones tired from exertion, but both of their ears on alert for any sound from the outside. So both of their eyes shot open when they heard the scream of Edward's name coming down the hall.

"Teacher! Edward!"

"Dammit, it's Giovanni!" Edward pulled himself slowly away from Roy, shifting around so that he could pull himself to his feet, ready to feel the steady ground under himself. Pulling carefully, noting the edge of sharper pain due to the fading effects of the drugs, he stood straight. It was almost like a miracle, being able to stand, and as he made his way over to the doorway, hesitantly grasping the doorknob, he knew there was no way they would keep him in this damned hospital one more day.

Throwing the door open when Roy came to a stop beside him, Edward peeked his head out hesitantly, only able to see the thick smog from the debris and smoke, but he could hear his student running down the hall screeching for Edward.

Rolling his eyes and scoffing, Edward answered the yells, "Giovanni, get your little ass over here!"

Giovanni couldn't contain his excitement as he saw his teacher standing up on his own two legs in the doorway, his metal leg standing dark in the musty hallway. He still looked rather beaten-up, but he was there, standing strong. So when Giovanni made it to the doorway, he couldn't hold himself back from hugging his teacher tight around the middle, careful of his injuries but his excitement made it hard to control himself.

Edward chose not to announce the sudden shock of discomfort up his spine, letting his young protege embrace him for the time being. He couldn't say he was completely angry at Gio for coming back, and while he would deny the swell of pride in his chest, he was still annoyed with the situation in general, so it would have to be poor Gio that got the brunt of his anger.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Edward was pulled back into the storage room by the back of his shirt, stumbling only a bit as he waved his good arm in Gio's general direction, his gaze on fire as he set his glare toward his small apprentice, "Did I tell you to come back into this hospital? What are you, crazy?"

"You're crazy for sending me away!" Gio yelled back, despite his screaming, he still felt excitement for seeing his teacher, and the weight of the book felt that much heavier under his fingers, "And you should have known I would come back! So just shut up about it!"

Roy wasn't surprised when he had to physically hold Edward back from attacking the boy, his arms swinging as he desperately tried to land a blow. Ed's chest was heaving when he finally calmed down, his legs shaking under him. The small amount of pain-killers Mika had given him were wearing off, and he could start to feel the shoots of pain more prominently.

"We need to talk about how we're going to get out of here." Mika's voice greeted them all, calming them down for the moment as he walked over to them, finishing his search for various medical supplies, but his arms were empty and poised on his hips, "This closet only holds the basic pain killers and small wound treatments, there's nothing here that I can use to better help Edward. Plus, he needs to be in a functioning hospital, not being treated by an aging alkahestrist."

"Hey." Edward's brows drew together as he calmed completely, "You're doing the best you can, Mika."

"Yeah, and that's not enough." His voice was strong and loud, he wasn't using this situation to bash himself, rather to help Edward get better medical treatment. They couldn't stay here whining about things they could and couldn't do, "We need to get Edward out of here. I suggest Roy and I go and get the car."

There was a stark moment of silence, the only sound the heavy breathing of Edward, his chest growing more and more constricted with each breath.

Roy was the one to step forward, his brow set as he clenched his hands together, "There's no way in hell I'm going to let Giovanni and Edward stay here while we go get the car."

"It's all we can do." Mika answered, his voice growing an octave, "We can't afford to tote Ed and Giovanni with us, and you and I are the only ones capable of defending ourselves against the insurgents. I can seal the door when we leave, the Aerugian soldiers won't even know they're here."

"But I can't!" Roy knew that it was their only option, he and Mika could fight their way out while Edward and Gio hid. It'd been so long since Roy had used alchemy in general, and many still wondered if he used the power the gate's knowledge gave him. It was the power Edward used to have, it was such a power that it almost intimidated him, but he still felt comfort in using his old flame gloves.

But he couldn't just leave Edward here...

"Go." Edward placed a single soft hand on Roy's arm, pressing down enough to get the man's attention, stark gold eyes meeting deep black, "You have to go. It's the only way."

"Edward, I can't lose you." Roy's voice was tight as he admitted it, only barely hearing the audible gasp from Giovanni. He brought up a hand swiftly, pressing it against Ed's cheek, "Call me sentimental, but I just got you, I don't want to lose you so easily."

"Who knew the infamous Major General Roy Mustang was a romantic?" Edward couldn't keep the blush off his face regardless, tilting his head unconsciously into the hand against his cheek, sighing deeply. Shaking his head only slightly, he smirked, "Well, if you don't want to lose me, you better just hurry up."

They didn't have time to think it over any longer, they could hear the subtle sounds of a battle going on just above their heads, and they knew if would be a matter of minutes before the Aerugian soldiers got to the room. So, with a swift dip and a press of the lips, Roy left the room with Mika, leaving in the trails of smoke. Leaving Edward and Giovanni standing in the middle of the room, staring at the door as it was melded against the walls, disappearing to anyone who didn't know it was there.

Edward's shoulders slumped as soon as the crackle of alchemy had faded from the air, raising his good hand to press it against his chest, heaving a loud and long sigh as his lungs thanked him for the air. The only things running through his mind were the images of getting out of this hospital, spending the rest of his recuperation time with Roy, and walking around in the city on his own two legs again. It was the only thing getting him through the situation the past few weeks, but his lips were still tingling from the small kiss Roy had planted on him, and it was making his mood lighten significantly.

"Well, your lips seem to be zipped." Edward sighed as he looked over at Gio silently, his chest still heaving though he tried to hold it back once again, remembering that his young apprentice was in the room with him, "probably for the better. You can't say anything at this moment that will possibly explain to me why you came back."

"I came back because I love you."

Edward nearly fell over himself in a rush to stare at Gio, not expecting those words combined with those harsh and determined eyes that were leveled on him. It was astonishing to Edward how tall Giovanni was, now that they were standing together side by side. Gio was nearly up to his shoulder, and despite how much Edward wanted to deny it, Gio would probably skyrocket past him in the coming years. But it was that height that made Edward's eyes widen as he was met with those stark eyes, almost angry.

"W...what did you just say?" Edward's chest seemed constricted for a completely different reason, his heart hammering as he heard those words uttered to him, those words he'd probably only heard a handful of times in his entire life. Those words slipping so confidently from that young yet hardened face almost sent him sprawling on his ass.

Giovanni scoffed, turning his head in the other direction, his lips pursing together as he fought to keep the deep blush off his face, though he knew the fight was probably futile, "I said I love you, idiot."

He couldn't describe the feeling in his chest when he'd seen Roy kiss Edward. It was anger, for the most part, a sweltering and bubbling anger that he'd never felt before, so strong and powerful that he could barely speak. He couldn't describe it, not at all, not with any of the words he'd learned in his thirteen-years, but all he knew was that he hated it. He hated seeing Roy kiss Ed, he hated seeing that dreamy eyes that Ed was giving the Major General.

Why couldn't Ed look at him like that?

"No." Edward shook his head, chuckling deep as he moved backwards toward the wall, ready to sit down and forget everything about today, "You don't love me, Gio."

Giovanni wanted to argue but he knew that it would be futile, talking to Edward was like talking to a brick wall. So he remained silent, keeping his distance from the other and trying to regain his calm, taking deep breaths and scuffing his feet along the floor.

Raising a single hand, Giovanni gently rubbed the aged and worn book he had tucked under his shirt, the ridges of the words pressing against his skin comfortingly. The display he had seen just before merely fueled his motives to put the book to use. He just needed to wait for the perfect time.

Giovanni didn't know much about love. He always expected it was just something people wrote about in magazines and books to get people to buy them, spouting things about romance and cutesy emotions. He'd never bought into it, never truly believing in love in such a harsh world. Both his parents were taken away from him at a young age, so he'd grown partially cold to the more warm aspects of life. Love was supposed to make your heart ache and your pulse race, you were supposed to be happy and weepy, sweet and cute, warm and giggly.

He felt anything but giggly. His chest ached, but it hurt and he pined for Edward, wishing for the man to get better, his wounds to heal, and every time Gio looked at Edward, he felt his heart sting at the other man. He always wanted to be around Edward so that he could keep a smile on the blonde's face, he knew the man had a tendency to frown when Gio wasn't around. He just wanted Edward to smile.

They didn't mention love hurting so much.

Edward, on the other hand, was swimming in it. He figured it was about time he felt this happy, just waiting for Roy to get back. He'd felt the same pangs of love as the young apprentice, but for years rather than weeks. Roy was always the man he thought of when he needed to feel better, when moments were at their worst and he needed something, just something to grasp to, something to think about to make it just enough for life to be bearable again.

So, needless to say, he'd been thinking about Roy an immense amount of times these past weeks.

"Teacher-" Gio's hands tightened on the book as he prepared to speak, but he was cut off abruptly as a large explosion sounded overhead. They could hear voices, hear the men speaking to on another quickly and rapidly, their footsteps echoing overhead.

Edward looked up, his vision swimming and head twisting as he moved his gaze too quickly, his whole body reeling. Taking a deep breath, he screwed his eyes shut, willing himself to speak, "Can you hear what they're saying?"

"Just a bit." Giovanni stepped closer, aching his ears out more to listen to the words, only catching a few. There was one thing he did recognize though, and that was a spark, a small zap, then more talking.

Edward heard it too, his breath catching in his throat as he came to the same realization as his young protege, "They have an alchemist."

"They'll be able to get into the room."

It was more silence that met them, the room thick with tension as they both went over their options. Roy and Mika were probably just down the hall on the way to the car, and that was if they hadn't met up with any insurgents. They weren't that lucky, and the odds were against, them. They'd probably have a good thirty more minutes in this room, and that was with time on their side.

There was another explosion, but this time outside the doorway down the hall, the familiar sting of alchemy going through the air as the hair rose on their arms. The situation seemed that much more grave, with the uncertainty of how many alchemists the Aerugian army had enlisted, and not to mention if they were heavily armed. It was just Roy and Mika against them, and Gio and Ed stuck in the store room.

"Teacher?"

"Shut up, I'm thinking." Edward pressed his fingers to his temples, taking a deep breath and trying to think of what to do. With Giovanni's alchemy, they could reinforce the door, but that would only hold out for a few more minutes at most. They hadn't taken into account that the invaders had alchemists, and that just made this a whole new playing field.

"Teacher?" Giovanni took a few hesitant steps forward, lifting up his shirt slowly and pulling the aged brown book out from under it with shaking fingers. He almost couldn't keep the text in his hands, they were shaking violently, turning white with the pressure. He'd gone over this a million times in his head, but he still couldn't keep his hands still.

But this was his only chance, he had to do it now...

"I said shut-!" Edward eyes widened as the large book was slammed alongside his head, just barely able to see the fuzzy image of Giovanni, the boy's eyes and face distraught in worry, before he slumped to the ground, his vision going black.

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><p>To say that Mika regretting leaving the boys in that room was a serious understatement. The fact that the Aerugian's had alchemists wasn't entirely shocking to him, merely a inconvenience. Alchemists they could handle, but it was as if the men were flooding in like water, every turn they made five of them appeared, and those five brought five more. They were relentless and angry, not stopping to ask questions, choosing to attack first and swift. The snap of Roy's fingers was ringing in the air, and Mika was drawing transmutation circles faster than he had in his life, barely able to keep up with the barrage of soldiers.<p>

Oh, and did he mention that Roy forgot where they parked the car?

"Mika." Roy huffed as he pressed his back against a wall, eyeing the doorway that stood not ten feet in front of them, "We've been gone for too long."

"I know." Mika closed his eyes and shook his head, quickly throwing down a used pen and fishing another from his pockets, already having gone through four from harsh treatment, all of them broken, "We need to hurry, I've got a bad feeling...we need to hurry."

"A bad feeling?" Roy glanced at the man, before glancing to the ten men, still unaware of their presence, standing in the hallway between them and the door, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, we just need to hurry."

Roy decided not to argue as he turned and barged into the waiting hoard, his own uneasy feeling growing in his chest. The urgency grew, steeling his shoulders and helping him take just a few more steps.

The feeling was mutual, seeing as soon as Roy took a step around the wall he was barged into by another person, slamming into the man and nearly tumbling into the floor in a flurry of action. Quickly, Roy shoved the other away and raised his fingers to strike, ready to get this attacker out of the way before turning to the others.

"Alphonse?"

Roy scoffed at the younger Elric, raising a single brow as Alphonse laughed nervously as he scrambled over to where Mika was hiding, Roy following him closely with a tick of the brow, his fingers still ready to attack. He still wasn't a huge fan of Alphonse.

Alphonse, on the other hand, had been going through the hallways searching for the others, having left Pinako with Havoc in the Major General's car. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he wanted to find Edward, get him out of here.

"Where's Edward!" Alphonse nearly yelled, clapping his hands together swiftly and slamming them against the ground, several columns shooting from the ground around the Aerugians, trapping them for the moment.

Mika sighed, "We had to leave him in a store room on the fourteenth floor, just down the hall from his hospital room."

"Left him? With who?" Alphonse knew that they only had minutes to talk, but he was already decided that he was going to book it to the staircase, ready to head up to the room Ed was in and beat the stupid guy senseless for staying in the building.

Roy tried not to think of Edward right now, it only made him want to run back to him himself, so he steeled his gaze on Al, "With his apprentice, Giovanni. You need to go and get them, we'll get the car."

There was, yet again, no time to argue as Al merely nodded hurriedly, turning and sprinting down the hall with one glance over his shoulder, seeing Roy and Mika bolt toward the doorway, the spark of Roy's gloves flicking through the air.

* * *

><p>Wiping the sweat off his brow, Giovanni turned on his heel and walked swiftly to Edward, whom was still slumped unconscious on the floor. He'd regretted having to use some of his alchemy to move all the shelving to the sides of the room, but he couldn't move them with his own strength alone.<p>

Bending down and grabbing Edward around the biceps, he hefted the man up, grunting as he struggled to tug and pull Edward across the ground. Sweat was already pooling around his brow, his breath heaving as he struggled, his fingers and arms straining to pull the larger man across the concrete. He just needed to pull him a few more feet.

There was hints of doubt in his chest as he saw the intricate designs over the ground, the circle having taken him a good ten minutes just to get everything down, but he'd practiced at home many times. Everything was perfect, but that unease was deep in his chest. He was used to that feeling, it was a constant emotion settled in his gut, but it grew with every tug of the body over the ground, and when he carefully placed his teacher down, it was almost like a flame in his stomach.

Ed's hair was soft as Gio carded his fingers through it, brushing it to the side gently and drawing his hand down Ed's face, the constricting of his chest lightening when he saw the other's gentle breathing. He was alright, breathing calmly, looking almost calm in his sleep.

It was just the confirmation that Gio needed.

Standing up and almost stumbling in his haste to get to the edge of the transmutation circle, Gio swooped down and snatched the book resting on the ground, flipping through it again and double checking that everything was accurate. His sweat was almost dampening his shirt, and his fingers stuck to the pages as he fought to turn them, but everything was perfect. This had to happen, and now...it was going to.

There were various sounds coming from outside the walls, yelling and various explosions, shaking the very foundation of their room. The enemy was growing closer, but they hadn't realized that there was a room here, not yet at least. Falling to his knees, Gio huffed as the concrete slammed against his body, his bones almost turning to much from nerves alone.

As he slowly placed his palms near the edge of the circle, and it was as if all the sounds silenced, and he could hear the beating of his heart like it was a cannon, the blood running through his veins like fire, and as he wrenched his eyes shut, he had one last moment of uncertainty before the power fled through his fingers. His very blood turned into alchemical power, flowing through his fingers and into the ground.

The light that filled the room was close to blinding, but Gio kept his eyes closed, tightening his stomach and pouring more of his power into the transmutation. His lips pursed, and he could feel the magic working, the power of the alchemy circling and sparking throughout the room, tendrils of light sparking and attacking the various corners. This was working.

"No!"

Giovanni heard the voice rip through his concentration, making his head shoot up and glance over to where the voice sounded, his eyes widening when he saw a gaping hole in the side of the room, and within it stood Alphonse Elric.

It was at that moment that the room went dark, the light and jubilant blue of the transmutation turning dark and sinister, covering them all in a haze of evil and pain.

* * *

><p>"'This is my last transmutation, stand back and enjoy the show.' That's what you said just before you last performed alchemy."<p>

"Geez, I thought I got rid of you the last time."

"How rude, you should be pleased to see me again."

Truth sat languidly in front of Edward, it's form almost blending into the background of the pure white world, only the grey outline of a silhouette and it's smile present in the white. It regarded Edward with that same shit-eating grin, and Ed couldn't say he particularly missed it.

Edward sighed as he looked around, half expecting to see a large towering door behind him as he remembered in his dreams. He heard Truth's snicker at his glance, as they both remembered his gate had disappeared the last time they had seen each other.

Edward sighed, crossing his arms and sighing, "You gonna tell me why I'm here or what?"

"You should know that." Truth snickered again, tilting it's head to the side, "Someone performed human transmutation on you."

Edward's world was spun on it's axis, and he found himself joining Truth on the floor, grounded by the statement. He knew it was true, how else would he be here? But who in their right minds would perform human transmutation on him, and what could possibly be their intentions? Was it one of the Aerugians? Those idiots!

"Before you start going off on the Aerugians, it wasn't any of them." Truth rolled its proverbial eyes, if it had any, snickering at Edward's star-struck expression. Tilting its head in the other direction, loving the amusement it was getting from the other, "Let me give you a hint. He's about 4' 11", green eyes, brown hair, thinks you can walk on water? Getting any clues?"

"No, Giovanni wouldn't do this." Edward scoffed as he felt his breathing come back to a regular pace, placing a single hand over his torso when a spike of pain when through his body, "I taught Giovanni to respect alchemy, I taught him everything, he wouldn't have done this."

"People will go to great lengths for the ones they love." Truth mused, it's voice growing with mirth at every passing second, "He's been planning on doing this for quite a while now."

Edward didn't know what he should have been feeling, but anger was a forefront emotion. Human transmutation was the worst of the worst, a horrible act for even worse people, so he couldn't fathom the thought that Gio would do this. The burning in his chest grew and grew to the point where he couldn't breath, and he had to close his eyes to the horrible reality before he punched something.

"Where is he?" Edward's heart thumped painfully again, but this emotion overwhelmed the anger. His whole body surged in realization, fear surging through his blood like fire. Sitting up straight and staring at the other with withering breath, he tried to form the words through his fear, "W...where is he? Where's Giovanni...?"

"I'd assume that right about now, he's being pulled through his own gate." Truth gestured behind itself, making Edward glance back over its shoulder, eyes widening even more at the presence of the large towering gate, not realizing it had been there. It was familiar and powerful.

What had he lost? What had happened? What had Gio gotten himself into?

"What did he want?" Edward gulped, trying to take a full breath, "What did he want to get out of this?"

"Ah, now, there's the question!" Truth laughed boisterously, clapping its hands together, causing the ground to shake around them. It was the moment the walls shook, Edward's chest rattled, and there was a spark of magic around them and in the air. Edward could feel alchemy stinging around his fingers, the blue spark going around the ground as a thin haze of smoke billowing around them.

"That's the question Edward Elric!"

Edward stood quickly to his feet as he felt the metallic shift of alchemy, the sound of snaps and electrical cracks forming in the air around them. His feet felt cold as he saw the sudden formation of a large shadow starting to build itself around him, giving evidence to a large structure being formed behind him. Ed could feel the presence of a large object behind him, slowly building itself together, growing larger and larger, the blue static of alchemy growing more and more powerful.

"Your apprentice, Giovanni...he wasn't anywhere near powerful enough to perform human transmutation." Truth giggled as it brought it's hands up and above, presenting the structure behind Edward with pride. It lowered it's gaze to Edward, lips pursing around its large teeth into a smirk, "But you, on the other hand."

Edward's eyes widened as he felt the blue light twirl around him, the electricity so painstakingly familiar that he could almost shudder. It had been gone for so long, but this power was so familiar and close to him, it was like it never left.

"Your alchemy has been trapped, your information, your portal." Truth laughed, rolling back on its feet as the large shadow grew taller and taller around them, "You remember how your brother's body was trapped in this space, and you kept powering it and powering it with your own essence?"

Edward took a deep breath and finally gained enough courage to glance behind himself, gaping and losing all the air in his lungs when he saw the large stone structure behind him gain the last bits of itself, finishing and presenting itself tall and powerful. Edward's alchemy was swirling and spinning around it, large, larger than it ever had been. The power was shaking the door, threatening to break it, rattling it on its hinges and shaking its very foundation.

Was this really his own alchemy? It had never held this much power.

"Same concept." Truth merely giggled in mirth, bringing a hand up to cover it's mouth. It seemed almost gleefully happy at the gate towering over them, almost hopping from foot to foot. He took a deep breath and rose his arms again, "Your apprentice's power wasn't enough to finish the transmutation, but yours is!"

Ed couldn't say another word as the explosion of power sounded behind him, shaking them and showering them with power and blue light.

* * *

><p>It was with a startled gasp that Edward regained consciousness, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to gulp as much air as he could. He could see the outline of a looming figure over him, hands on his shoulders shaking him violently as he coughed, his eyes watering. He felt like he'd been torn to pieces and put back together again, his whole body was aching and his head was spinning with random thoughts and images. The hands shook his shoulders again, making him clench his teeth and groan, wrenching his eyes closed and violently whipping around to shove the hands off him.<p>

"Where's Giovanni?" His voice came out as a weak and hoarse whisper, his breath lost again as he sat up, his body feeling like jello. It was Alphonse seated in front of him, his brother's bright blue eyes staring at him with a familiar intensity, his brows drawn together in uncharacteristic relief.

Alphonse rose a hand and placed it on his brother's shoulder, this time in comfort as he shrugged and smirked, "You okay, Ed?"

Maybe Ed was going crazy, because there was no way in hell that Roy could profess his love, Gio would perform human transmutation him, and Al would act like they'd actually been friends these past few years. At least not all in the same day.

"I feel like shit." Ed smirked, almost feeling hopeful that Al had forgiven him, but his mind was quickly erased of those thoughts as he felt a familiar spark of alchemy in the air, the fading effects of a transmutation still hanging in the air, "Where's Gio?"

Al sobered, his lips dipping into a deep frown as he glanced over his shoulder, eyes battling with showing remorse and anger, the first emotion losing the battle, "I came in to see him perform the transmutation. He was out of it, but I could see the gate taking him."

Edward's chest thumped and he quickly pushed his brother out of the way, scrambling as fast as his injured body would allow, trying to find his young apprentice in the battered room. There was still a haze of smoke and light filtering over the ground, making it hard for him to see much of anything. Shifting forward and feeling along the ground, his hand slid across the concrete, siding through a sudden wet-

He didn't need to look at his hand to confirm that it was blood.

Ed could see that Al had taken care of Gio first, wrapping the boy's stumps as tightly as he could with bandages, managing to stop the bleeding. He couldn't stop his gaze from traveling around the fallen body, catching the feathery breathing, the light pulse, and his skin was so pale. Al had found a blanket in the store room and covered the small teen's body, and that small covering was the only thing keeping Edward from gagging. There were two dips in the fabric, where Gio's legs should have been, one stopping just below the knee, in the middle of the calf. Edward's eyes widened when he saw Gio's other leg, the boy's appendage not even a stump, not visible at all. It took everything straight to the hip.

Edward had to look away, pressing a shaky hand to his mouth as he fought to breathe. He was sick, sick to his stomach, his head was rolling and he couldn't think straight.

Jumping nearly out of his skin when he felt a soft hand on his back, Ed looked up into the sympathetic eyes of his brother, his brows drawing together as he tried desperately to keep his eyes from watering. It was just too much, too much in too short a time.

"I know this isn't the time, but I'm sorry." Alphonse spoke, his breath light as he saw the tears growing in his brother's eyes, his chest stinging painfully when he saw his usually strong brother's facade start to crack. Moving forward and wrapping a strong arm around Ed's shoulder, he pulled his brother closer, "I'm so sorry, for everything."

Edward was smaller than he was. He forgot that, even now. Alphonse was always the younger brother, but when Edward fell into his arms and embraced him so tightly just then, he was so small.

Face pressed into Al's shoulder, Edward shook his head, mind swirling with all the information from the past couple hours. Letting out a shuddering sigh, Edward hoped Al could understand him as he spoke into the other's shirt, "Is he going to be alright?"

"Yes." Alphonse's frown remained, slowly pulling back and looking his brother in the eye, trying to pull off a confident stare, even though he himself was rattled, "He's going to be alright, I stopped the bleeding."

Edward managed to take a deep breath, his chest shuddering in restrained emotions. Giovanni was an idiot, but at least he was alive, and that was the most important thing. Mika and Roy would be around with the car in a matter of seconds, and they'd get Gio to a hospital. Plus, these injuries weren't the worst part of Gio's situation, he'd hear hell from Edward when he woke up. He'd wish he'd stayed unconscious.

"At least things can't get any worse." Edward offered with a stifled chuckle, his gaze drawn to his small apprentice again, giving a soft shrug. Alphonse offered his own smirk, and it was the happiest Edward had ever seen, his brother's blue eyes sparking in mirth.

It was at that moment that the room around them shook, showers of debris and rock pouring down on them from above, the room filling with even more smog and dust. They could see the tendrils of blue light filtering around them before the walls crumbled, some of the foundation pouring into the room from the lack of support, others merely crumbling into nothing, more dust billowing into the room.

It only took Edward a fifth of a second to curse himself for saying those words, knowing that they were always proceeded with something worse. He didn't have much time to do anything after that, for he knew the sound of a cocking gun when he heard it, and that sound multiplied by twenty really put a dampening on any other plan of action he might've had.

Edward's eyes hardened when the dust and smoke in the room cleared, revealing thirty men around them, all in the Aerugian garb, all of them looking proud of themselves when it was Edward Elric that the dust revealed. They tightened their grips on the guns they held, training them on Edward and Al, not showing an inch of resistance.

"Edward Elric, you are going to come with us." The leader of the small group walked forward, his hands folded behind his back as if he had all the power in the world, his smug and smirk expression making Ed want to punch it off his face. The man only spared Al a glance before looking at Ed again, "Or would you rather you all die here?"

"It's me you want, isn't it?" Edward pushed himself up slowly, not scared in the slightest when the guns all trained on him at the movement, and as he walked forward confidently, his own smirk made its way to his face. His automail clacked against the ground as he strode forward, and with every click, the smirk on his face grew deeper and deeper, "Well, you can't have me if I'm dead, can you?"

"Ah, you caught us." The man raised his arms and tilted his head in fake distain, his frown making him look ridiculous as he tried to look upset with the situation, "Oh, well. I guess we'll just kill those two and take you anyway."

Ed's fist was already flying before the man's words were out of his mouth, and he reveled happily when it connected with the man's jaw and sent him flying backward. He may have been so injured it hurt to stand, but that didn't mean he couldn't deliver a mean right hook. He could feel his ribs shifting around inside his chest, and he could almost see the air as it escaped his chest, his eyes wrenching shut as a startled gasp escaped his throat.

As his arms were wrenched behind him, Edward glanced up in a pained haze to see Alphonse being held by the others, each arm being held by a separate guard to ensure no alchemy would be used.

"Cocky little punk." The general that Ed had decked sauntered around in front of the eldest Elric brother, massaging his jaw with a single hand, his lips stained red. In a swift movement, he slammed his fist into Ed's stomach, smirking wider at he pained yell the man gave.

The situation was again spiraling out of control, and Edward could do nothing to stop it. He could feel the familiar sting of alchemy in his fingers, the rush of electricity through his blood, but he wasn't so hopeful the alchemy was there. Be it the denial he'd been through these past years, or the realization that his alchemy was back was too much to handle, but the tingle in his fingers felt so familiar. Hell, even if he wanted to use the alchemy again, he was so out of it that he wasn't sure he could do much of anything at this point.

He could hear Alphonse yelling his name, screaming for them to let him go, let them all go. The world was spinning around him, his eyes couldn't focus on anything and all he could see was the green of the Aerugian uniform swirling in front of his sight. The hands holding his arms behind his back were making it hard to concentrate on anything other than the pain in his broken arm, and his feet were shaking as they fought to hold him up.

Raising his head, Ed tried to center his gaze so he could look at the leader, not even having to fight to put the smirk on his lips, raising a brow as he regarded the man with unrestrained distain, "screw you."

The man raised a brow, and Edward reveled at the small twitch of his eyes, showing just a hint of annoyance and anger. That was all the encouragement Edward need to take a full breath, his mind kicking into gear again as he sifted his gaze to Alphonse and Giovanni again. Mika and Roy would be here any second, but that wouldn't keep the Aerugians from killing them. They had guns, and despite how magnanimous Alchemy was, it wasn't faster than a bullet, especially if their hands were immobile. There was nothing they could do, surrounded by the twenty men with guns, of which at least one was an alchemist.

The man was already raising a hand to signal them to shoot, his fingers poised to make the command to kill. The men were readying their guns, holding them tighter in preparation for the recoil, getting ready to fire at Alphonse and Giovanni. It sickened Edward, the very thought that these men would kill a mere child, and an unconscious one at that. In any other situation, Edward would have scoffed and made an off-hand comment about that fact, in hopes of delaying the situation, but he knew he wasn't confident enough to pull it off, and his words may make the inevitable come faster.

"Wait."

The man's hand twitched, but he didn't make the command, his hand still in the air as he slowly travelled his gaze over to look at the beaten man, raising a brow in question.

"Don't kill them. I'll go with you." Edward leveled his fiery gaze on the man, getting a bad taste in his mouth from his own words, his body tensing, "Don't hurt them and I'll go with you without a fight, I wont use my alchemy."

"Smart move." The leader brought his hand down slowly, alerting the others to lower their weapons slowly, bringing Gio and Al away from any immanent danger. The ones holding Edward's arms wrestled him to his feet, making him stumble over the cold concrete, his head swimming as he fought not to lose whatever contents were in his stomach all over the general's shoes. As much as he would have loved to, he didn't think he'd be able to stand on his feet much longer if he threw up.

Despite Edward's promise to not do anything alchemy wise, one man held each arm, and far away from his body as they dragged him out of the room slowly, jarring and pulling him painfully with every step. He could hear Alphonse's cries for them to let him go, and it warmed his heart again, but he didn't need it, not this time. Rising his glare to Alphonse, he smirked, raising a single brow and meeting the other's eyes confidently, "Make sure Gio makes it out okay. I can handle myself, Al."

Alphonse smirked at Edward's confident words, but he knew that they were true. Edward was one of the strongest people he knew, despite how sometimes he almost seemed like the most fragile. In the stickiest of situations, Edward always knew how to get himself out, hell, get everyone out, even if it meant a few injuries on the way there.

"Roy is gonna be pissed." Edward smirked as he was pulled further out of the wall, snorting to himself cynically, trying to imagine the Major General's reaction when he figured out that Edward had been taken, "Just tell him I can handle it until you guys come get me."

"Edward..." Alphonse growled despite himself, huffing at his brother's arrogance and bull-headed attitude, suppressing the need to roll his eyes, "What did I say about being a hero?"

"What can I say? People flock to me." Edward tipped his head back with a smug smirk, feeling himself being dragged away further by the attackers, but not quite feeling as though the situation was as dire as it should have been. Sure, he was being kidnapped by Aerugians for some unknown reason, but that didn't mean it had to be a completely bad thing.

He'd just have to think of a bright side later.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, before you yell at me saying "THIS COULDN'T HAPPEN*$&amp;%(", I just want you to know, I don't really know if it could happen, but it seemed plausible. But, even if you still don't like it, deal with it. :) I had a lot of fun writing it, so that's all that matters. <strong>


	8. Solitudinem

**I would like to start my three part apology for not updating last monday by saying you are all beautiful human beings. I would also like to apologize for the fact that this chapter ... isn't very eventful. I'm sorry, but this has to happen, so I daresay it's kind of boring. Thanks for reading, though, and forgiving me for not updating last monday. So, here you are, a early-bird special of the latest chapter. Have fun!**

* * *

><p>1. They didn't tie the scarves very tight around his eyes and mouth.<p>

2. They allowed his feet free when they got on the train.

3. They didn't seat him next to an overbearing guard that used him as a punching bag.

They offered to feed him, eventually.

Edward was shortly on the way to thinking of a number 5 on his list of 'bright sides' when the train jostled painfully, making him cry out against the restraints. Wiggling around in his seat was a good way to try and get the other's to his attention, screaming angrily against the gag, trying to twist his arms painfully around his restraints. They had weird cuffs around his wrists, a bar placed between to keep his hands a good foot apart. He had to hand it to them, they weren't stupid.

"Shut up! Jeez!" The man seated behind him reached over and smacked him upside the head, scoffing and turning back around, "Stop struggling so much!"

Edward groaned and worked the gag around in his mouth, elated when he felt it slipping against his teeth, loosening it's tie. They'd had a hard time tying the gag around his head against his loose hair, so they'd gotten frustrated and tied it loose. Maybe they weren't as smart as Ed previously thought.

They were probably half way to Aerugo by now, as they'd been on the train for about three hours now, and it was speeding faster than any train he'd ever been on before. Either someone was anxious for him, or the conductor had a need for speed. Slumping back against the seat behind him, Ed searched the flat wood of the backrest, hoping to find a loose splinter of wood or maybe a fallen screw or nail. Anything that he could use to pick these locks, but also anything that could distract him from the searing thumps of pain coursing through his body. They'd forced him to swallow some Aerugian medicine, and while it numbed some of the pain and was supposedly going to help his body with the healing process, he felt sick that he had to use it - and it didn't work. They'd re-wrapped his numerously-broken arm again tightly, but even that act had been redundant as they had immediately shoved it behind his back to restrain him. His chest was tight and painful, but he could breathe, and his head was just a bit clearer. He didn't know if it was the medicine or his own stubborn will, but he was just sick and tired of being in pain all the time.

With a jubilant cry, Edward worked the gag out of his teeth and flexed his jaw, moving it around before leaning forward, licking his lips tiredly. He still couldn't see, but he knew that there were two men behind him, and two men in the seat directly in front of him. Sighing, he tried to find a helpful hand in the man in front of him, the man who had yet to speak a single word, "Hey."

The other's didn't hear him, they were too busy talking amongst themselves, but Ed was almost positive that the man in front of him heard him. There was a scoff as the man's feet scraped against the ground, "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay quiet."

"Yeah, well, I've been told I'm not the smartest tool in the shed." Edward smirked, tilting his head as the tried to listen to the subtle sounds around him. There couldn't be more than ten men in the train car with them, and there was an air of excitement among them, many of them talking amongst themselves and chittering so low that Edward couldn't hear them. They were happy about something, and Edward had a sinking feeling that he was the reason.

"Can I use the restroom?" Edward tried, flexing his hands around and twisting them at the wrist, trying to get some leeway so that he could press his fingers together, but all he was met with was air, "Please? I'm going to go on the seat."

"I'm not going to buy that." The man didn't have the same jubilation that the other's had, his voice monotonous, "You can hold it until we get you to Lord Irving."

"Lord Irving?" Edward didn't try again with the bathroom bit, because he knew no matter how hard he pleaded, they wouldn't let him up from his seat, even if the train was stopped for hours on end. Didn't even matter that he really had to use the restroom, "Is that the Aerugian leader who wanted to kidnap me? What possible use could he have with me?"

"You just don't know how to shut up, do you?" The man didn't answer his question, and his lips were zipped from then on. Edward truly didn't know what else to ask, hoping to goad the man enough so that he could gather some information, but he didn't know what he'd do with it once he had it. Choosing to shut his lips was a good one, letting him focus on wringing his arms around to get his restraints off his wrists. They didn't bother to come and shove the gag back in his mouth, so he tried to find a way to use it to his advantage.

His mind was tied at the moment. He was worried about the others he'd left back in the hospital, especially Roy and Mika. They'd be freaked out when they got back to the room to find it devoid of Edward, only containing half of Giovanni and a severely freaked-out Alphonse. He didn't want to think of the lengths Roy would go to to get him back, once the Major General put his mind on something or if his loves ones were threatened, he would do anything and everything to get them back.

Edward cursed under his breath and wrenched more at his wrists, scoffing at the thicker tendrils of pain lacing down his back. He needed to get out of here and get back to the other's before Roy did something he regretted.

Sighing, Edward smirked, "Could one of you at least tie my hair back for me? It's getting annoying."

* * *

><p>"What the hell did you think you were doing!"<p>

Gio winced at the words, ducking in closer to himself and looking away, feeling his cheeks heat up in an ashamed flush.

"Edward trusted you, he trusted you, and yet you go and do something like this?"

Gio had never seen anyone so angry, none the less Mika, a usually calm and collected man who seemed to have more sense than all of them combined. If anything, his words seemed to bite even more, making Giovanni's insides twist and churn in discomfort.

"What were you thinking?" Mika's voice was tight as he paced in front of Gio's hospital bed, trying to not get himself too riled up and failing miserably. With a single glance to the solitary figure seated in the corner, he realized that he was a sight calmer than the other man in the room, as the Major General had flown past the point of screaming and was in a dead silence.

For Gio's sake, Mika hoped that Roy didn't get his voice back, for he would fear for Giovanni's life.

"I don't know what I was thinking, okay?" Giovanni finally shot back, keeping his head lowered and his eyes trained on the dips in the fabric that used to be his legs, "I just got so sick of seeing Edward in pain, every time he saw someone use alchemy, he'd get this look on his face. I was so tired of everything happening to him, everything bad that could happen, would."

"And you thought that performing alchemy on him was the answer?" Mika sighed, running a tired hand through his hair, feeling more old and haggard that he had in years, "Did you even know the consequences of what you were doing?"

"Of course!" Gio sighed, turning his head away and feeling smaller than an ant under the gaze of the wise alchemist, but he too was grateful that Roy had yet to start on him, "Edward warned me multiple times, every time I brought it up he'd get all clammy, and he wouldn't stop yelling about how bad human transmutation was."

"Then why? Why did you do it? Knowing Edward's history with it?" Mika chose to shake his head rather than listen to Giovanni's excuse, taking a deep breath of the sterile hospital air and finding a seat, sighing, "I just don't understand. Why..."

It was a matter of seconds before the door was slammed open, and they wouldn't admit that they were all happy for the distraction. The air in the room was thick, thick with disappointment and worry. Roy was up and out of his seat in a matter of seconds, strutting quickly up to the lower ranked general, nearly throwing him to the ground in the rush to get his information, "What did you find out?"

"T-There was a hijacked train just outside the border of the city, not two hours ago...and..."

"Two hours ago!" Roy could have started a fire with sheer will-power alone with the anger that was billowing through his veins. He tried to quell the overpowering worry in his chest with reassurances that Edward was alright, that he could handle himself, but he still found it was hard to breathe and he was angered at the smallest trigger. Calming himself worked for a few moments, but his hands didn't stop shaking no matter how hard he tried, "where? Where was it?"

"The train was taken just outside Rush Valley." The man didn't have the will power to look the Major General in the eye, and as soon as the words left his lips, he was pulling back and walking down the hallway. The hospital was overrun with State Alchemists, and every single one of them had warned him against the wrath of Roy Mustang as he walked down the hallway towards Giovanni Frayne's hospital room. He felt almost as if he was walking toward the light in his own death.

Mustang didn't move as quickly as Mika had thought he would. Instead of jumping right into action, the black-haired man simply slid the door closed very slowly, his palm resting against the flat of the wood. His brows were knitted together in pain, and he stood solitarily against the cold white of the walls, the room looking large around the lost man.

"I'm going after him." Roy spoke with a level voice, but his voice was tight and withdrawn, showing much more emotion than if Roy had lashed out in anger.

Mika shrugged, sinking further into his seat, "I didn't expect anything different."

"And you're not coming with me." Roy sent him a look, knowing that it was the next question on Mika's lips, "You're staying here with Gio."

"If you say so." Mika truly felt in his gut that he should fight with Roy, demand to accompany him in pursuit of his favorite client, but he knew that it would be futile. Giovanni needed someone to stay here with him, talk about his options, talk about the situation. Heavens knew that Alphonse wouldn't provide any emotional support for the boy, and there was a heavy chance that Alphonse would tag along with Roy, despite what the flame alchemist said.

Giovanni sat forward, the blanket around his chest falling forward and pooling in his lap, dipping further where his missing leg would have been. His voice was confident when he spoke, but it held an edge of fear and uncertainty, but never once did he ever lead that he was ashamed of what he did, "You're going to get him back?"

Roy's hands started to shake when Giovanni spoke. He truly didn't know what to think about the small boy, but it was the first time he truly wanted to strike a child. He hated the feeling it built in his chest, but just thinking about what Giovanni did to Edward made him shake and churn, his heart beating a bit faster. He hated the feeling, but he disliked the boy in the bed more.

Roy left the room without a word, letting the door slam behind him, the wood shaking against the wall. The room was even more empty and silent, leaving them both with goosebumps covering their arms, the silence almost choking them.

Sighing again, Mika let his shoulders shake in a silent laugh as he tried to think over just what had brought him to this situation. He really couldn't believe he let himself get this deep into Edward's life, and now he wouldn't be able to untangle himself no matter how hard he tried. It was futile, and while he had initially not wanted to get this deep in anyones life ever again, he couldn't say that he regretted it. Edward was quite the character, and he would have regretted it the rest of his life if he rejected the offer to create the famous Fullmetal Alchemist's automail. He knew he was going to get over his head the second he met the blonde.

"So." Giovanni knew he shouldn't be talking to anyone right now, for the fear he'd get his head torn off again, but he couldn't keep his lips closed. He fisted his hand over the material where his leg should have been, feeling his heart thump deep in his chest, "would you make automail for me, Mika?"

Mika didn't even think for a second, knowing the question would be asked, knowing his response even before Gio asked it, "No, I will not."

Gio's eyes widened as he looked over at the man, his brows drawing in pain, "Look, I said I was sorry, I know what I did was wrong, but you can't-"

"That's not why I'm not doing it, Giovanni." Mika softly chuckled, but it was audible this time, and it made Gio's furrowed brow soften just a bit. Mika's eyes were hazed over in pain as he pursed his lips, raising his arms slowly to cross them over his chest, trying to rub some warmth into his biceps, "I'm not making automail for a child again."

Giovanni could have pouted if he wasn't positive Mika was set on his decision. The man was stubborn, Gio knew that much, and he wouldn't be dissuaded, especially not by him. Gio wasn't looking forward to finding another automail mechanic to build his legs, but he figured Mika would at least tell him the names of a few good mechanics.

There was a few more moments of silence, and Mika could have groaned when Giovanni started talking again, making him wonder if the boy would ever know how to shut the hell up.

"What do you mean, knowing Edward's history with human transmutation?" Gio's voice was small, but held enough curiosity to almost make Mika want to answer it.

Shrugging, Mika smirked, "If he hasn't told you already, I'm not going to be the one to tell you."

Giovanni could have screamed, his annoyance growing by the second. No one was talking to him and they weren't answering his questions, and he knew that he was partially at fault for that. Maybe he deserved the silent-treatment, sure, but he just had so many questions, that combined with the intense need to follow Mustang to find his teacher was setting him so far on edge that he could have fallen off his bed.

"So." Gio mumbled, still pouting and whining, "What did you mean? About the kid thing? Cuz I'm not some wimpy child that can't take some pain. Don't degrade me."

Mika was up and out of his seat in a matter of seconds, heading toward the door with a murmur of getting water, the reverberant slam almost leaving as much impact as when Roy had left in his wake. Gio grumbled as he watched the closed door, his brows drawing together as he pouted deeper. This whole situation was getting way too over his head.

Staring down at the bed, he sighed. Maybe what he did _was _wrong, but why did he feel so content with it?

* * *

><p>Edward was the master of the universe, he decided, as he flexed his fingers behind his back. It had only taken him a mere hour and a half to get one of his hands out of the restraints, and although he was sure there would be permanent bruises, that didn't dampen his mood in the slightest. Plus, it couldn't have been a better time, either. The sun had dipped low beyond the mountains not thirty minutes ago, and already the soldiers around him were starting to drift off, fatigue from the taking a toll on their bodies. He didn't have any definite proof to support his argument, seeing as he still had a wrap around his eyes, but all the conversations had drifted off and he swore he could hear the subtle snorts as one of the soldiers snored in his light sleep.<p>

It was a risky move, but Edward slowly reached up, pulling up the bottom edge of the handkerchief around his eyes. The soft swaying light of the cabin left him blinded for a moment, but when his eyes adjusted, his thought was confirmed. All of the men's heads were dipped forward, eyes closed and their breaths coming slowly, nearly all of them in a deep sleep. The men in the seat in front of him were leaning against each other, mouths wide and gaping, obviously very deep in sleep. A quick glance told Edward that some of the others in the back part of the train were still awake, but playing a game of poker, so their attention was otherwise occupied.

Edward hunched forward, dipping low on his feet as he inched forward, the heavy metal of his leg under him giving him more comfort than he thought possible. It was amazing, the sheer pleasure that came with having his leg back, and he reveled in these small accomplishments. Mika was a master craftsman, if the completely silent shift of gears or the absolutely painless transfer from stump-to-limb was any consolation. It was with a side note to give Mika a larger check that Edward shifted forward more, eyes roaming the uniforms of the men in front of him, wether to find keys for his other restraint or at least a pen.

It would be foolish to try and escape right now, Edward mused as he reached forward hesitantly, his hand steady as he reached for the man in front of him, or more importantly, the pen sticking out his breast pocket. It was pitch black outside, and not to mention miles upon miles of desert. If he were to use his alchemy now, it would not only alert every single soldier in the train, but what would he do then? Go running into the darkness of the desert and hope for the best? There was only so much that alchemy could do, and he knew from personal experience that sand didn't transmute into much.

With a flick of the wrist, Edward held the pen in his hand, wincing at the impending motion that would wake up the soldier. With one more movement, he reached back and pushed the pen into the knots of his braid, effectively hiding it within his own golden locks. Looking around a bit more, trying to find anything more that he could use and scavenge, yet still hide somewhere on his body. They'd forgotten to feed him earlier, so even scraps of food dropped on the ground were fair game, seeing as he didn't have much room for dignity today. He could still smell the food in the air when they'd eaten an hour ago and his stomach was grumbling fiercely.

When Edward shifted back to his seat, he was concealing three pens, four bobby-pins, a shoelace and a loose hair tie. It wasn't much, but even it was enough to get himself out of trouble later. He'd have to lock himself up again, but a concealed bobby-pin would make quick work of the restraints. But that didn't make the click as he fastened the metal around his wrist any less unpleasant.

He just hoped that when he did make his jail-break, Roy would be there to meet him.

* * *

><p>Mika sighed as he slid down into the cold wooden chair perched near the water fountain. He couldn't blame Giovanni, but he needed to get out of the room before he hit something, and he really didn't want it to be the young boy.<p>

Her name had been Benedict, but yelled at anyone who didn't call her Bennie. He could still remember her brother's mocks at her name. She had been really small for a child her age, but her family had been a close friend of his, so he was quick to accept their plea for help despite it. He'd never done automail on anyone younger than eighteen, so he wasn't positive on how she'd react to the pain.

She was five when she lost her arm, cut off in the middle of her bicep. She'd been riding on the handlebars of her brother's bicycle and they'd hit a loose rock; they'd both tumbled down the ravine off the side of the road. Chaz, her brother, was fine, but Bennie's arm needed to be amputated.

She was nearing nine years old when they'd saved enough money to afford automail, and they'd contacted Mika immediately. He was hesitant, both to take the money they offered and to operate on such a small child.

Taking a deep breath, Mika sighed and stood to his feet, running both of his hands through his hair and closing his eyes. Giovanni was a far cry from nine-years-old, and if they waited until he hit puberty and grew a little, so he could take the physical stress, there would likely be no problems. But...

Taking a single drink of water from the fountain, in hopes that he could clear his mind with the cold water, he was disturbed to find it luke-warm and coppery. It was a sad state when the water from a hospital depicted his state-of-mind, but he found it oddly appropriate.

The door creaked as he opened it, making him wince and his brows draw together as he glanced over at the bed. He didn't know how long he'd been outside, but Giovanni was asleep in the bed, mouth gaping open and limbs splayed out like there was not a problem in the world. Maybe after a few days the boy would fully come to understand the repercussions, and Mika would be there to hold his hand and make sure he didn't get himself into any more trouble.

* * *

><p>There was a deep darkness surrounding him completely, so completely that he could feel it digging into his skin and under his eyelids. He tried to keep his eyes wrenched shut, but it was almost like he could see through his own skin, seeing the passing images and shapes like his skin was translucent. It hurt, it was almost painful, the speed that the images were flashing by his eyes, smashing into his mind, filling it with various bits and pieces of information. It was blissful pain, and it felt as though he couldn't get enough of it. It was whizzing by and he was absorbing everything, every sentence, every word, every image. He was gathering everything and he never wanted it to stop yet he wanted it all to end. He was full to the brim of information about nothing and everything, and just when he was close to screaming from the excruciating pain, it all stopped.<p>

_I didn't respect alchemy. _

Sitting up swiftly from a deep sleep, Gio couldn't breathe, his chest constricting and his body heaving as a cool sweat started to pool on his brow. He didn't remember the dream, though he wasn't sure he wanted to. It was painful yet almost exhilarating at the same time, and he could feel the drying tears on his cheeks and his throat was raw from screaming.

The room was dark around him and he could have sobbed, his brows drawing together as he felt his chest constrict, his hands shaking as he tried to find a source of comfort. All he was met with was the cold sheets and the chill of the room around him, dark, dark like his dream.

_I didn't respect alchemy._

Edward's words were repeating over and over in his head, much like the sporadic and short images from his dream. Never before in his life had he so wanted someone to hold his hand. His head was overwhelmed with different emotions, but the forefront was grief. He wanted nothing more than to see Edward; the repeating words of his teacher was sending him deeper and deeper into a spiral.

Was what he did wrong? So wrong?

There was a knock at the door, and Gio didn't have time to say a word before Mika barged in, a large smile on his face, a clear juxtaposition from his mood yesterday. He held two large brown bags in his arms, and as he shifted around with the door, he flicked the lights on, flooding the room with color.

"I'd ask why you're sitting all alone in the dark, but it's not like you could get up and turn on the lights yourself." Mika laughed at his own words, shifting to shut the door then make his way over to Gio's bedside, taking a quick seat, "So, I got a couple of hamburgers and fries or I got some noodle bowls if that's what you're hankering for."

"Was it so bad?" Giovanni tried to get his hands to stop shaking as he sent a scared and small glance toward the other alchemist, his eyes shined over with tears. He sniffed, shifting his hands so that they clutched at the fabric over his stomach, hunching in over himself, "Was it so bad? I can't understand it, I did it to myself, I chose to do it, why is it so bad?"

Mika sighed again as he set the bags off to the side, only slightly disappointed that they wouldn't be able to eat dinner before Gio started on this. Kids had bigger metabolisms, so maybe he could talk the boy into eating before they started on this emotional rampage, but it was already started. Mika turned toward him and slid his hand forward, carefully placing it over Gio's, leaving the boy with the decision to seek the comfort, "I know that you think what you did was honorable."

"It _was._" Gio argued, sending a single glare at Mika before glancing down at the blankets again, not removing his hand from Mika's hold just yet, "I don't get what everyone is saying. I lost my legs, so what? Edward got his alchemy back."

"It's exactly such thinking that makes it even worse." Mika sighed, holding the small hand tighter, the cool fabric of the bed cold against his fingers, "You disrespected alchemy, such actions should never be taken. You broke a large law of alchemy, you used a human being as fodder for human transmutation."

"So?" Giovanni scoffed, pulling his hand from under Mika's in a swift movement, turning to look out the window, his lips pursing together as the words and images flashed in his mind again, "So what? It wasn't like I was trying to bring him back from the dead or anything else. I was just helping him."

"Giovanni." Mika's voice was strong and it held an edge of annoyance and anger at the small boy for his words, "If Edward didn't have the alchemical power that he does, he would have died. You remember Alphonse saying that he saw alchemy pouring from Edward, that means it was his own alchemy that finished the transmutation. If it wasn't Edward, or if your transmutation didn't succeed in getting his power back, Ed would have died. You would have killed Edward."

Giovanni gulped, his shoulders squaring as he clenched his eyes shut. That's what he was afraid of. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that those were the consequences he so narrowly avoided, but he didn't want to address it. It was like that blackness from his dreams, from his memories, was back in his chest, swallowing him whole with the realization of what he'd done. His chest ached and he felt his eyes sting with tears again.

"So it was stupid..."

"Ah, well, now we're getting somewhere." Mika clapped loudly, almost making Gio jump in his seat as he did so, before reaching down swiftly to grab the only momentarily forgotten brown bags and dropping one in Giovanni's lap, "now eat some burgers or something."

* * *

><p>This time they just put a bag over his head.<p>

It may have been better than the blindfold, because it didn't get caught in his hair and it didn't give him a headache from the hours of pressure, but he didn't like the constant musty smell. He'd tried to make an agreement with them, maybe they could let him go without the blindfold, but they'd immediately shoved the sack over his head and told him to shut up.

As soon as they stepped off the train, Edward could feel the warm and sunny air around him, the grass under his bare feet and the gentle hum of life around him. They were in a busy place, maybe a market or a courthouse, the pulse of daily life moved around them and Edward instantly felt more comfortable. They weren't going to hurt him in front of a huge crowd of people, right?

"Come on."

They tugged harshly at his arm, dragging him through the grass and through the hoards of people roughly, shoving past the on-goers and not caring where they were dragging him. Edward collided with many people, some of which cried out, some of which were too distracted either by the military, Edward's obviously foreign appearance, or some combination of the two to speak a word.

The only glimpses he got of the world around him were through the loose bottom of the bag, hanging open around the base of his neck. The grass was very green, and every pair of feet they walked by were wearing loose sandals, the skin tones mixed and ranging. There wasn't much he could get out of this, but the familiar tap of his braid in between his shoulder blades gave him confidence. He had ways to get out of this situation, and it was early enough in the day that he could act long before nightfall.

The air was thick with the smell of sweat and work, mixed with food and goods, spices littered the air and burned at his nose. He'd heard through rumors that the Aerugians were people of the earth, using spices and plants in much of their foods and medicines. They had no powers like Xing or Amestris, so they relied more on their physical strength. It showed, as no matter how hard Edward struggled against their meaty hands, they never budged and never balked. They were strong, much like their spices.

Edward snorted, realizing that it was a bad idea because it both aggravated his injured lungs and allowed a large whiff of spice to enter his sinuses, making his eyes water and his nose run as his eyes watered. Broken limbs and bruises be damned, nothing was more painful than a nose-full of Aerugian spice.

It was while he was finishing hacking up a lung that they shoved him into a hut. His lungs burned with a vengeance but he could still feel the dirt under him cool as he was thrown in the shaded enclosure, and he was positive it was small enough that only he was currently inside. He could hear words spoken quickly, mostly in Aerugian, and he was only able to catch one or two words. He'd learned with Izumi back when he and Al were studying alchemy, but he barely remembered any of it. He caught the words 'Lord Irving', 'cheese', and 'restroom'. Either they were gonna grab some cheese on the way to the bathroom, they were going to the restroom because of some bad cheese, or this lord Irving frequented a snack while on the can, but Edward was quite positive he didn't know what the hell was going on.

The moment of silence allowed him to gather his breath back. They were gone with the subtle snap of the door closing, leaving him in the soft cool air, the warmth of the sun seeping in through the cracks in the wood walls. Shifting forward and dipping his head over, Edward shook his shoulders and neck enough so that the bag fell off his head easily, allowing him to breathe deeply without the stink of dirt and spice.

The air filtered in and out as he got used to the light, but as soon as he could see the cracks in the wood and the grass on the ground, he was moving, shifting on the ground and looking all around him. He didn't have the time to try and wrench his hand out of his hold again, and he wasn't positive his wrist could handle it. There was absolutely nothing on the ground, nothing but the soft dirt and grass.

Hunching up carefully, Ed took a deep breath and slid his hands forward, under his knees and feet, pulling his hands under his body and in front of himself, clenching his teeth and holding back a cry as his chest wrenched and churned. This pain was really getting annoying, Edward decided as he flopped onto his back, taking a deep breath and sighing as he grew more and more annoyed with the situation. Why could Roy just be here to break down the door and sweep him off his feet? It wasn't as if Edward couldn't take care of himself, but for the first time in his life, Edward just wanted to...lay in a bed or something. He shouldn't have taken it for granted the past few weeks.

Reaching up and back behind his head with both of his connected hands, Edward awkwardly pulled a single bobby-pin from the base of his hair, flipping it around in his fingers and attacking the keyhole of the handcuffs with a vengeance. Even if Roy wasn't here, he was still gonna get himself out of this shit-hole.

It took all of Edward's will power not to cheer for joy when the wristlet clicked and fell off his arm, leaving his hands free to roam. It was so amazing, feeling his wrists without those constraints, without something shoved into his mouth, and without something covering his eyes. It was amazing, yes, but what wasn't amazing was the realization that he could go nowhere. There were probably numerous guards just outside the door, and not to mention the chaotic amount of people in the market place just beyond there.

There was no way he was getting out, but at the same time, there was no way he was going to allow them to cuff him again. He'd had enough of that for one lifetime.

Sitting up slowly and plopping down properly on the soil, Edward took a deep breath for what seemed like the millionth time, allowing himself a moment to think things through. He felt like an old man, for the first thing he thought of was of what he would have done not five years ago. A small hut like this would not hold the great Fullmetal Alchemist, and the idea of guards outside would make his fifteen-year-old self laugh at the absurdity. Guards? With a single clap of his hands, Edward would make the sky light up with his power, taking down the guards with either a mighty hand from the ground or a bending hand from above, nothing could withstand the power of the Fullmetal Alchem...

Edward slowly brought his gaze to his hands, his fingers twitching as he felt the forlorn power already surging through his veins. His hands felt abnormally heavy, as if they held something they hadn't touched for years, the power of his once lost art once again surging through him. It was as if he'd never lost it, yet his whole body was yearning for it as if he'd gone more than three years without it.

Yes, the old Edward would have run full on into the situation, leaning on his alchemy to get him out and being brash about it. The old Edward would have done a lot of things...Edward shook his head with a heady laugh, clenching his hands to get them to stop shaking. That was the old Edward, yes, but that moment with Truth, the meeting, the door building behind him, that hadn't been a dream, it happened.

Edward uncurled his fingers, looking at them once again, the blood flowing through his fingertips, the soft white of the pressured pads of his palms. He could just feel it...so hesitantly, Edward clapped his hands together, the sound making him wince as it resounded the room.

"Hey, what's going on in there?"

Edward gasped as he heard the door creak open, and with one hurried movement, he slammed his hands to the ground, closing his eyes tight and hoping for the best.

What he certainly wasn't expecting was a sudden explosion of power, blue lights flashing all around them, and sending everything up and twisting in a huge blast of smoke.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you all for reading, and I hope it wasn't too especially boring. I also have to apologize for the fact that I might have to... not update next Monday. I don't have the next chapter written yet, and while I know exactly is going to happen, I don't know how much I'll be able to write with work and school and ... video games. But! Reviews make great fodder for the mind, and I might just be persuaded to think otherwise about writing slowly. :)<strong>


	9. Eripio

**Hey, everyone! I actually updated today! I hope everyone likes it, I feel like this chapter is one of the better ones, and I hope you all agree. :)**

* * *

><p>Alphonse sighed as he slowly lowered the small woman onto the bed, making sure she was seated alright, his hands lingering worriedly for just a moment. She hadn't spoken for quite a while, her lips sealed tight as she thought through the events of the previous day in her silence. He too, was distraught by everything that had happened, and he was quite positive he was going to get some serious wrinkles if he kept worrying like this.<p>

"Pinako?" He knelt in front of her, placing his hands calmly on her knees, trying to not startle her, "Are you alright?"

She scoffed, not bothering to look at the youngest Elric brother, her hands almost shaking as she held them tightly in her lap, "Do I look alright to you, Al?"

He could have laughed as well. She looked like hell, and he was positive he looked the same. There was dirt and grime caked in his hair and on his cheeks, his clothing was burned and singed, and he'd lost a shoe somewhere in the exchange yesterday, and not to mention he hadn't had a second to take a shower in the hours from yesterday.

Winry was on her way down to Central with Hohenheim, Al had made sure to call her first, but was regretting it as his ears still rung from the conversation. He wasn't quite sure how she'd react to the news she was going to receive upon her arrival, and he merely hoped that the train ride was a long one from Risembool.

Now, sitting in a small hospital room, waiting for a doctor to come and check on them, Alphonse really didn't know what to say. He could mention Roy in the other room, sitting with Mika and Gio, but that might set Pinako off even faster. The woman was wound as tight as a rubber band, and she was sure to snap in a matter of seconds. She'd already mentioned off-handedly that Roy had yet to go after Edward, even after Alphonse had mentioned they had no idea where the Aerugian leaders were taking him.

"Winry is coming up." He tried again, leaning back and standing up on his own weary legs, feeling every one of his twenty years. It could have made him laugh, thinking of himself as old and feeling weary and tired, especially while standing next to Pinako.

Pinako nodded, once again not making eye-contact, turning her face toward the window to glance out at the sunny day.

Coughing nervously, Alphonse placed a single hand on Pinako's shoulder, trying not to feel the flinch the woman gave as he did so, "Pinako, you should really get some sleep, okay?"

He wasn't expecting an answer, even as he turned away from her with a sad smile, opening the door quickly and stepping outside with a heaving sigh. He may have only been twenty-years-old, but he still felt as though the whole weight of the world was on his shoulders. He had been convinced that after everything in his teens, he would live out the rest of his life calmly and with no particularly taxing events. He'd had enough adventure in his younger years, and now all he wanted was a family and a calm life.

Nearly jumping out of his skin when he heard the sliding click of the water fountain, he glanced over with a shocked look as he saw a older man reach down to take a small sip of water. He had a small five o' clock shadow covering his jaw, his greying hair was unkempt and ragged, much like his clothes and skin. He was on par with Alphonse with his appearance, and that was how Alphonse recognized him initially.

Stepping forward slowly, Alphonse already had his hand extended in a greeting and a soft smile on his face as the man rose from his drink, "You must be Mika, I don't think we've been properly introduced."

"Hm." Mika nodded as he took Alphonse's hand quickly, raising the other to wipe at the corners of his lips, raising a single brow as he took in the younger Elric's appearance, "Alphonse Elric?"

"Yeah." It was almost as if he was being scorned upon, the look the man was giving him was almost unsettling. He could tell that the initial response to their meeting was distain, and it was becoming apparent that everyone within Edward's acquaintance was going to unanimously hate him. It made sense, considering the circumstances, but Al was just praying that this one didn't decide to punch him.

Alphonse held no ill-will toward the man who was chosen to replace his wife's automail, but at least he wasn't giving the man a glare hard enough to melt ice.

Mika nodded, his strong eyes piercing into Alphonse as he regarded the younger man with a certain edge of distain. He couldn't very well judge the boy on the information he'd gathered from Roy and Edward, but that didn't mean he had to be pleasant. He'd been through enough to forego the pleasantries, and he was sure a smile and a conversation wasn't going to lighten the mood any.

"So, I assume you're going with Roy?" Mika mused as he glanced down the hall over Alphonse's shoulder, raising a brow.

Alphonse shrugged, knowing what the man was speaking of without the need for confirmation, though his heart thumped in want to join the flame alchemist, "I'm not sure. My wife is going to arrive soon, with my son, and I should really stay to look after them and Pinako."

"Wife and son, huh?" Mika couldn't stop the pang of dislike he felt toward Alphonse, and while he was almost eighty-five percent certain that the rift between the Elric brother's had been momentarily mended, he wasn't positive he liked the youngest. Alphonse was a man that seemed kind-hearted and soft, but he couldn't feel respect for a man who caused his brother so much torment, all the while lounging in a home with a wife and child.

"Yeah, Winry and Hohenheim."

"Hm."

Alphonse felt as though he should leave, but he didn't want to go back in the room with Pinako, but there wasn't anywhere else he was willing to go. He wasn't wanted anywhere else, especially in this hallway with this man, but there wasn't any place to go.

"Well, I don't know about myself..." Mika started, sending one more glare at Alphonse, before wiping off imaginary dust on his shirt, shrugging as he let out a large sigh of his own, "But if my brother, my only brother, were captured by an enemy force looking to extract alchemical power from him, nothing and no one in the world could stop me from running to his aid."

Alphonse felt a slither of guilt and shame make it's way up his chest, he couldn't look at the other, bringing his hands up to nervously play at the hem of his shirt. It was all true, he just didn't want to admit it.

Mika shrugged again, turning to make his way back into the room where the boy was being held, "But yet again, Mr. Elric, that is just me."

Alphonse gulped after the soft click of the door echoed through the hallway, leaving him in the empty space with his own thoughts. It was true, he wanted nothing more than to run after Roy and demand he go with, but Winry was coming in a few hours, and he needed to look after Pinako.

Really?

Alphonse clenched his fist and squeezed his eyes tight, leaning his head back toward the ceiling as he desperately tried to search for the answer within himself. Roy could take care of Edward by himself, it was most likely he wouldn't appreciate the help anyway, but there was a deep longing in Alphonse to chase after Roy.

Through thick and thin he'd had his brother's back, they'd been inseparable for years, depending only on each other. They were the Elric brothers, they were closer than anyone could be, they were the proverbial definition of family. Edward always had his back, he could always rely on his brother to be there, they were always within feet of each other to offer the support they needed. They'd been through everything together, literally, and they were the only ones the other could lean on through the first years of their life. They were the Elric brothers, they were family, they were all that each other had.

That had fallen out. He didn't know what happened to them, and even now he couldn't remember their conversation when they'd screamed and yelled hard enough to break that brotherhood. They were stupid, both of them, very stupid. Alphonse didn't want it to happen...and while he still felt some of that residual anger from his past few years of hating Edward, he couldn't regain the full feeling. They couldn't go back to their past relationship, not this quickly, but that didn't mean they weren't still brothers.

They were still brothers.

Alphonse's breath caught in his throat as he frantically looked over his shoulder, down the hallway he knew Roy had stormed down just thirty minutes ago. If he hurried, he could still find the Major General before he went after Edward, and demand to go with him.

* * *

><p>"You sure get a lot of water."<p>

Mika glanced up as he entered again, raising a brow as he regarded Gio with mild interest, before strutting in and taking his usual seat beside the boy. Despite his warnings, Giovanni had continued to beg Mika for automail, but the elder had refused profusely, to the point of using thirst as an excuse to get away from the constant badgering. He didn't know what he could do to convince Giovanni that it was against his moral law to operate on children, none the less that Edward was most likely his last patient ever.

It had been a mental decision he made in the middle of working Edward's leg. The leg he made for Edward was magnificent, made of steel, chrome, bits of iron and various other substances, the bolts and screws were made of alchemically hardened material, and the finishings on the joints were alchemically sealed to prevent rusting and ensure fluid movements. The runnings of the workings, such as nerve attachments and electrical outputs were all alkahestrically magnified, making every movement available for the worker, with no limits to movement. There would be no pain, wether from a shorted wire or a malfunctioning bolt, and there was a seal of alchemy over the entire thing to prevent tampering from anyone other than Mika himself, even Edward couldn't touch it.

Mika may have been a bit self-confident at the beginning, but his finished work was so magnanimous that it even shocked him. It was then that he decided that Edward would be his last patient, not only because of his own foolish pride, not wanting to have to face the fact that he would never create something so astounding, and that when working, his hands ached earlier, and his eyes stung more than he realized. Despite himself, he realized his age more than he'd ever done in his life, noticing that forty-five was not young, not anymore.

It was also a shock to his very foundation when he heard the younger Elric speak words of a wife and child, for the boy was just barely entering his twenties. How long had Mika wished for someone to share his life with? He was entering into his fifties and he wanted something more than the cold chrome of steel and the harsh bite of workman's tools to share his life with.

"So, when are you going to start on my legs?" Giovanni leaned forward with a look of pure sincerity on his youthful face, eyes determined as he fought to catch Mika's gaze. He wasn't quite sure that goading and annoying the man would get him much faster to his goal, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. He couldn't get up and force it out of him, he was getting weaker and weaker each day. A second without morphine or any other drug coursing though him would send him screaming and crying in pain, a pain so intense that he often didn't remember it. Mika's alkahestry could only do so much.

Mika sighed, sitting himself down on the usual chair, sighing deeply, "Don't start this again, Gio. How am I going to convince you? I'm not making you automail. Hell, I'm not making anyone automail anymore."

Giovanni scoffed, tired of hearing the same repeated words over and over again. He knew that Mika was just protecting him, afraid to work on him because he was just a child, thinking he couldn't handle the pain. He'd heard Edward got automail when he was only ten, and that was three years younger than Giovanni. If his teacher could handle it at that age, then Giovanni could handle it now.

"Let's just wait until Edward gets back and we'll decide then, okay?" Mika scoffed, wondering if this conversation was worse than the one about feelings. He'd had a deeper conversation with Gio about the effects of what he'd done, but it still seemed that the child's bull-headed tendencies were getting the better of him. He still wasn't convinced that what he'd done was wrong, and he fought tooth and nail to try and explain that he'd do it again if given the chance.

"I don't want to be here when Edward get's back."

To say that Mika was quite shocked by those words would have been a vast understatement, to say the least.

He snorted, looking over at the boy indignantly, hoping that he'd heard wrong, "What?"

"I said, I don't want to be here when Edward get's back." Giovanni seemed confident enough, but within his eyes held a shadow of doubt, and a cloud of pure misery that came with the words he was saying, "If what I did was so bad, then I doubt Edward will want to teach me anymore. Plus..." He gulped, closing his eyes and thinking back suddenly to the hallway when he'd been captured by the Aerugian soldiers. Edward had come to find him, taken down the soldiers, and forced Giovanni to run away. He'd done nothing to help the other, and watched pitifully from the sidelines as his teacher took the beating, then he ran from his teacher, like the scared coward he was. He did nothing to help his teacher, and when Edward was in his biggest moment of need, he'd turned tail and ran.

Giovanni clenched his hands angrily, "I can't help him as I am now. He won't teach me anymore, so I need to go find someone who will."

"Who says he won't teach you anymore?" Mika's words were on edge, and the boy's voice was confident enough to convince him that if he had legs, Gio would already be gone.

Giovanni sent a glare toward the other, "Look me in the eye and tell me Edward will still teach me when he gets back."

The silence was enough of an answer for both of them. Mika couldn't bring himself to spout such an obvious lie. While he knew there was a slim chance that Edward would take pity on the boy and teach him some more, there was an even higher urge saying that Edward would have a hard time looking at the kid, much less teach him. Gio would always be Edward's precious student, but their lessons had ended long ago, and would likely never pick up.

"I can't do anything for him. I can't help him as I am now, I'm just a tag along third wheel that will only get in the way." Giovanni felt his own words tearing at his stomach, but they spewed out of his mouth with ugly truth and self-doubt, knowing that he would never be good enough for Edward, "I told him I loved him, did you know that?"

Mika wasn't shocked, too, at this admission. He'd known that the looks Gio had given Ed had changed from admiration to something more quite quickly.

"I especially can't stay. I'll just be a charity case, a bug under his foot."

"You will never be that." Mika leaned forward, choosing finally to interject and dismiss all that the boy had said, setting his eyes on Giovanni before the boy sent himself even further in this downward spiral, "You mean so much to Edward, you are his friend, his student, but most of all, you are his family now. You were there when he most needed someone, that means something, doesn't it?"

"It means shit." Gio scoffed, digging his hands deeper into the blankets, "It means nothing! You were here, too, when I was. You mean more to him than I do! Roy was also here, remember? I was a footnote, a rock, and now that I did this, he's never going to look at me again. He didn't want me here in the first place."

A loud crack echoed the room, leaving both Gio's cheek shining red and Mika's hand stinging mildly as he shook it around to alleviate the pain. He was mildly shocked at his rather impulsive action, but he found it appropriate, so he didn't apologize nor show a sympathetic eye.

"Go ahead." Mika stood again, wondering how many times he would storm out of this room, and wondering if he should just request to have the door taken off it's hinges, "Leave, leave and never come back. Find another teacher, find your own way through life. But just remember this." Mika leaned forward and stared him in the eye, "This is going to follow you around for the rest of your life, abandoning Edward like this. You can wallow in your own self pity for all I care, go ahead and let yourself be the victim, but when you think back, what do you want to remember? Do you want to remember yourself running like a scared dog with it's tail tucked between it's legs or do you want to remember yourself standing strong and facing the consequences for your actions? Ask yourself that, Giovanni."

* * *

><p>Roy was pissed.<p>

Scratch that, Roy was beyond pissed. Roy was infuriated. Roy was so maliciously angry that he could feel the waves of heat rolling off his shoulders, burning the wood under him and singing anything within a five foot distance. He couldn't think of anything other than his own anger, and it took everything within him to keep breathing, keep sitting, waiting. Waiting was the hardest part, and with ever jostle of the train under him, he felt his hands tightening as he crossed them over his chest.

But there was also the worry. The worry fueled the anger, but it was much more overwhelming. Never before had he felt such body-consuming concern and worry, so much so that it ate at his gut and made him want to puke. The anger was fueling the worry and vice versa, and it created such a toxic combination that no one was coming within his perimeters for fear of their lives.

"S...Sir?" There was a single brave soldier that inched up to the Major General, his hands held protectively in front of his chest as he fought to keep his breath's even and word his statement carefully, "Major General Mustang?"

"What?" Roy snapped, his eyes nearly on fire as he sent his glowering gaze toward the poor foot soldier.

The man gulped, his eyes widening, nearly turning and bolting from that spot without relaying his news. Gulping again, he tried to keep his voice even, "We're nearing the Aerugian border. It seems as if the Aerugians used a private train line, for no military train has been been past the border inspection."

"Was no one watching the border? I called nearly two hours ago to have all their men surveying the border, not to let a single train past." Roy stood angrily, his hands balling into fists as he stood towering over the soldier, letting out all of his frustrations on the boy, "Are there no competent soldiers in the force nowadays?"

"Uh, sir..." The boy was not allowed a single word edgewise, as the alchemical power of fire was rolling off the other in surging torrents by now, making the soldier back away in fear.

Roy scoffed, his lip furling as he regarded the poor solider with a look of nothing more than pure disgust. He knew that it wasn't the soldiers fault, but anyone not doing their absolute best at this point was not helping him in the slightest at finding Edward.

"Well?" Roy mused again, his sneer much more prominent as he felt his voice raise just a slight bit at the man's inability to do anything of use, "Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to get us past this border inspection in the next ten minutes?"

"Sir!" The boy turned tail and ran the first chance he could see the Major General would let him go, speeding toward the front of the train to have a conversation with the inspector and the soldiers that were sure to stop the train for the routine inspection.

There had been words of a hidden railway just to the east of the main military line, but they had been unable to find it in the small allowance of time they were given. Roy had insisted they start toward Aerugo, finding no use in trying to find this hidden railway. It was more of an annoyance than anything, for he was already quite positive of where they were taking Edward.

"They're going to be taking him to the Minister of Aerugo, Lord Irving." Alphonse's youthful voice cut into the silence that had been left in the car, coming forward confidently and taking a seat next to the Major General, looking him in the eye and raising a single brow, "You know that, right?"

"Of course I know that." Roy answered with a snap, internally berating himself for yelling again. He was a Major General, he needed to be calm and collected while on missions, but he couldn't help it if he was emotionally compromised with this one.

They were taking Edward to the Minister of Aerugo, there was no question. That man was arrogant enough to have Edward shipped to his front door, even knowing that Roy would be hot on his tail. The meeting between Roy and Irving had most likely been a ruse, purposefully set to goad Roy into chasing after Edward. Irving wanted to mock the army of Amestris, showing them that he could take what he wanted and no one would stop him.

That, or the Minister of Aerugo wasn't quite as intelligent as Roy assumed.

It was probably the latter, seeing as Irving had just kidnapped Edward Elric.

"We're headed straight toward the head department of Aerugo." Roy mused as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, ready to hear news of Edward's whereabouts or anything else that might lead them to Edward.

Alphonse shrugged, not seeming as would up as the other male, knowing first hand that this was a small situation for Edward, and there were worse things he'd gotten himself out of. The injuries on his elder brother were what Alphonse was worried about, wondering if that would put a dampen on Ed's ability to get out of tight situations. Al doubted it, but still worried nonetheless.

"What are you going to do once you get there?" Al asked, wether just to break the silence or otherwise, letting his gaze slide to the man before turning away again, looking outside to see the scenery around them come to a slowing stop, indicating that they were coming to the border of Amestris. He could see the sunny warm air around him, and it was almost instinctual for him to reach up and pull down the window, the warm air seeping in and brushing against his face. It was a simply beautiful day, the sun was high in the sky, and the clouds were big and white in the sky, billowing slowly and softly. It was quite a contradiction to their current situation, but Alphonse was pleased for the distraction it brought him.

"I'll tear down everything in my path to get to Edward." He wasn't embarrassed in the slightest by his words, and his determined eyes showed that he was going to follow through with his words. Nothing would stand in the way of getting Edward back, especially not some Aerugian soldiers who thought they walked on water.

Alphonse snorted, feeling all the doubt and concern alleviate in the slightest, knowing that all the words Roy said were true. Al was not as naive as everyone thought he was, he'd known that Roy and Ed were completely head-over-heels for each other within the first few months. Age and gender were no issue to Alphonse, he merely wanted them to get over themselves and get together already. They both deserved to be happy, and that was one thing they could only be with each other.

Both of them were suddenly jostled in their seats as the train jolted to a sudden stop, much rougher than the stop it had been intending to make. Grabbing onto the hand rests hesitantly, Roy pushed himself to his feet and strode forward in a swift movement, "What the hell is going on?"

Alphonse almost laughed out loud when it was the same nervous soldier that came running through the door, almost colliding with the Major General in his haste. His eyes widened like saucers when he saw Roy towering over him, his hands poised to snap and send everything up in flame. Instead of words, a terrified squeak left the boy's lips and he positively quivered.

"I hope, for the love of god, you have something good to say." Roy's deep voice cut through the air and Al was almost eighty-five percent certain the foot soldier was going to wet himself.

The boy stuttered for only a second, before gulping, "Just off the border, not two miles away, sir! There was an explosion, some of the border patrol witnessed it, sir. They say it was an alchemic explosion, sir!"

An alchemic explosion? Roy gaped, his hands loosening from their threatening stance, raising his gaze to look out the window, just barely catching the small tendrils of smoke from the explosion billowing in the distance. It was close, and if there was still smoke in the air, it had happened just moments ago.

"I...I already asked for a squad car...sir..." The soldier was promptly ignored as he was shoved out of the way by an urgent Roy Mustang, and immediately after by Alphonse Elric, both of them trying to rush to the car door to jump out onto the warm summer soil. A car was idling ready for them, and Roy couldn't get into the driver's seat fast enough, especially considering he had to pull another soldier from the seat and toss him to the side.

"Do you know where you're going?" Alphonse said quickly, barely getting his foot in the door before Roy sped off, his foot completely on the ground of the car as he tore down the road. Alphonse didn't expect an answer, for Roy simply tore down the road blocks and various cut offs of the road, bee-lining toward the billowing clouds and smoke.

* * *

><p>The first thing he felt was the dirt under his fingers, rough but warm, jolting him into realization. He tried to breathe, but dust filled his lungs, leaving him hacking out a cough once and then twice, before breathing deeply and slowly. The second thing he felt was his hair softly brushing against his cheek, most likely having been pulled from it's binding. The world around him was eerily quiet, just the far-off sounds of murmurings and quiet talking. He seriously contemplated playing dead until someone forced him off the ground, seeing as he didn't want to draw any more attention to himself than he already did.<p>

He could hear the muffled sound of someone far-off yelling, his voice standing out within the murmurings, considering the second he yelled the crowd went silent. It was as if everyone was waiting with bated breath for what this new man would do, and by the sounds of his screaming and yelling, it wouldn't be good.

There was a sliding crunch of dirt and gravel as the man charged forward into the debris, the sounds of crashing structures and crumbling rock following him. His voice was growing louder as he yelled at his soldiers in their language, something that Edward still couldn't understand, not even random increments this time.

He was astonished, the man, but his anger had changed to morbid fascination, if Edward heard correctly. The closer the man got, the more his voice filled with something else, and by the time he was standing within feet, his voice was filled with exuberance and excitement.

"It was Elric, sir." The man answered in a language Edward could understand, making Edward involuntarily flinch against the dirt. They didn't seem to notice his conscious state, as they went on with their conversation. The man coughed, sounding tired and breathy due to the dirt down his throat, "There was a sudden explosion of alchemic power, and then things were changing all around us, then this happened."

"The Fullmetal Alchemist did this?" The man's voice was practically non-existent with the amount of jubilation it held, his whisper barely floating over the dirt to settle in Edward's ear, making an uncomfortable shiver run down his back. This was the man that wanted him, this was the man that had set everything in motion, this was the man that had started everything. It took all he had to hold himself back from glancing upward, especially at the old title that was bestowed. He wouldn't lie when he said he missed being called the Fullmetal Alchemist, but not like this, not with the morbid and creepy fascination the man held in his tone.

Edward's insatiable desire to get a look at this man overrode his need to play dead, so before he could convince himself otherwise, he hoisted his arms under his torso and began to slowly push himself up, letting a strong smirk cover his lips, "So, you're the guy that dragged me all the way out here?"

The dust was still filtering around the ground as Edward slowly opened his eyes, silently sweeping his eyes over the area to take in his own handy work, then immediately met the eyes of the man standing not feet in front of him. It wasn't quite the destruction he had been expecting, and it even instilled a feeling of pride within himself. The walls of the surrounding buildings were twisted and turned, the ground was pulling apart, long tendrils reaching up toward the sky, breaking at places but strong in others. It was like his alchemy had just exploded from within him, changing anything within a twenty foot radius.

"I do apologize for the ...unconventional invitation." The man tilted his head to the side, stepping over an unconscious soldier in leu of strutting to Edward, his pressed military garb a stark contrast to the dusty atmosphere around them.

Edward snorted, shifting around and rolling his shoulders back in their sockets to loosen up his arms. He felt a new sense of freedom within himself after using alchemy again, but it was probably due to the fact that he wasn't either inside a hospital room, train, or small tool shack. Finally, he was out in the open with clean air and no roof over his head, no walls surrounding him.

"Invitation?" Edward sneered, raising a single brow as he leaned heavily on his metal limb, placing his hands on his hips as he glanced around again, "I can hardly say this was an invitation."

"I do apologize." Irving's voice darkened as his lips curled into an ugly sneer, reaching back with a slow hand behind his back, before throwing his arm forward and raising it to eye level, "I'm afraid this won't be an invitation either."

Edward didn't lose his smirk as he saw the gun trained on him, but his hands tightened just a bit on his hips. He'd had numerous occasions where he had guns trained toward his head, and every single time he was terrified for his life, scared that the finger was going to tighten just the slightest bit, sending Edward to his death. Guns were the fastest way to kill a person, Edward knew, and not even Alchemy was enough to protect against them in tight situations.

Yes- all those times Edward was terrified, but he couldn't feel that same fear this time. Why? Because all those other times, Roy Mustang wasn't standing behind the shooter, his own gun poised to shoot.

"Lower the gun, slowly." Roy could only speak in short words, and while he was pleased Edward was on his feet and cocky as ever, he didn't like the fact Irving, a man he had a very strong dislike for, was pointing a gun at his lover.

His face enflamed at the word, and he sent a single look toward Edward, his lips pursing as he felt his blood quicken. He really liked calling Edward that.

Edward, on the other hand, caught the subtle pink on the Major General's cheeks. Smirking, he raised a hand to cup around his mouth, shouting out loud for everyone to hear, "Did you just call me your lover in your mind?"

"Shut it, Fullmetal!" Roy yelled back over, only slightly glaring at the other, but quickly retraining his gaze on the Aerugian leader, his hand tightening on the handle of his gun as he shifted on the ground, "Now, lower the weapon."

"Impressive, I didn't even hear your vehicle arrive." Irving didn't seem fazed, and it was as if he believed this interaction were inevitable, "Though it is a pleasure, I do have to ask if you will lower the gun."

Edward saw the soldiers raise their weapons before Roy did, scanning his eyes over the few that were still conscious, all of them hesitantly raising their guns toward the Major General, eyes shifting from Roy to Edward. They weren't positive on whom was more dangerous at the moment, nor who they should be pointing their weapons at. Roy was threatening their leader, but Edward had just created this mayhem moments ago.

"Tell your soldiers to back down." Roy didn't back down, he merely trained his gun closer to the leader's head, eyes darting back over the soldiers as he saw some of them shift so their guns were on Edward. Not liking that at all, Roy looked back at Irving, "Don't toy with me, Irving. This gun is loaded."

He cocked the gun, the audible snap even reaching Edward, and Irving's smile faltered.

They were at a stand-still. The air was thick with the dust around them, the broken buildings crumbling every once in a while, the shift of boots on the ground, the short brushes of air around their necks. They didn't move, and they were completely at a loss. Edward stood no more than ten feet from Irving and Roy, and there were four soldiers in between them, many more in the surrounding buildings, guns poised. None of them spoke, they barely breathed.

It was after about thirty seconds of this that Edward got tired of it.

Be it both of them had shared impulsive attitudes or they were already close enough for non-verbal communication, but when Edward looked into Roy's eyes, he knew the man was on the same page as him. It was with a single nod from Edward, and a gentle furrow of the brow from Roy that they both acted.

Rearing back and flipping his gun around in his hand, Roy swung forward while at the same time withdrawing his other hand, poised to snap. The sound of igniting flames swirled in the air in the same instance of a clap, Edward falling to his knees and slamming his hands to the ground, concentrating all his power into the dirt. The sounds of sparks travelled the air at the same time as a crack of Roy's gun against Irving's shoulder, the man dodging at the last second just before Roy's strike. The shuffle of dirt filled the air as the four soldiers, too nervous in the beginning to shoot, held their fire and backed away from the action, but were stopped immediately as large pillars of concrete rose around them, twining and circling, trapping them all. Long tendrils of dirt shot from the ground, knocking their guns from their hands and sending them clattering to the dirt.

The dirt around them ignited into flames, weaving into the buildings around them, sending bursts of fire and sparks within the holds and the soldiers therein. The pads of Roy's fingers parted as he felt his gun loosen in his other hand, the strike on Irving not landing on it's desired target. The minister swung around and slammed his shoulder into Roy's sternum, bringing his weapon around and getting ready to fire, his hand tightening on the gun.

Edward gasped as his power filtered through his fingers, finishing the prison bars for the soldiers. Knees quivering as he attempted to push himself up, Edward froze as he heard a single gunshot echo through the settling dirt, wishing nothing more for a large burst of air to come through and send everything away.

He heard a body crumple to the ground, and he could have sworn his heart stopped. Ignoring his own fatigue, Ed surged to his feet, trying to look around in the dust to see the other, see any sign of Roy. All he could see was dark figures, a single one in front of him, just a single one, standing out among the burning red flames of fire.

"Well." Ed jumped as finally the dust settled enough for him to glance over and gape as he saw his brother strut from the tree line, looking as cocky as ever. Alphonse merely smirked as he attempted to twirl the handgun on his finger, but failing miserably. Laughing nervously at himself, he shrugged, "At least I did something, right?"

Quickly glancing forward, Edward saw the dark hair and the blue uniform, using that as his only proof before he surged forward, tackling the other to the ground and wrapping his arms tightly around Roy.

Roy, on the other hand, couldn't hold Edward tight enough. He, too, had been in a near state of catatonic worry when he'd heard that gunshot, but he'd had his arms full of Edward before he could get any further with it. Closing his eyes and pulling Edward closer, he breathed a heaving sigh of relief, feeling the other do the same. His voice was low and intimate, "Are you alright, Ed?"

"Wait a couple days and get back to me." Edward chuckled as he held tighter, burrowing his face into Roy's shoulder and leaning most of his weight on the other man, afraid that his knees would buckle, "How about you?"

Roy snorted, shrugging, "I nearly went into a coma with worry. Don't ever do this again, okay?"

"Okay, I'll be sure to tell the next person that decides to kidnap me."

* * *

><p><strong>I REALLY hope this wasn't anti-climactic. I'm not super awesome at writing action-scenes, and I didn't want to draw the situation out any more than I already had to. <strong>


	10. Usque

**Sorry for the lack of update last week, again. Thanks for reading! I wish I had more good news, but alas, I must admit: This is the last chapter. :( There WILL be an Epilogue, though! **

* * *

><p>The trip back to central had been an uneventful one, but it was probably the highlight of the past couple weeks for Edward. He sat against Roy's side, the man's arms circled tightly around his waist, warm enough to help him to sleep for the ride back. They talked for the first hour, just among themselves and with Alphonse across the isle, Edward taking particular pleasure in talking with Roy about what they'd do to Giovanni when they got back to Central.<p>

And while Edward dozed on his shoulder, Roy merely held his hand and idly drew patterns in the other's hand.

"Roy." Alphonse spoke in a light whisper, despite knowing first hand that a earthquake wouldn't have woken his brother. Roy sent him a questioning glance, him too knowing that nothing would wake Edward, so he rose a brow instead of stopping the conversation before it started.

Alphonse coughed, trying to think of the best way to approach what he was about to say, without making Roy fly off the handle and try and turn the train around, "They didn't find Irving's body."

Roy sighed, nodding and looking back down at the man spooned against his side, snorting when he saw Edward's mouth parted and a soft snore sounding every once in a while. Roy answered the question that he knew Alphonse was about to ask, "I know, Al. A man like that wouldn't be taken down so easily."

"Don't you want to go back and find him?" Al severely hoped Roy said no, but he knew that Roy was a spontaneous man, and nothing could stop him once he had his mind set on something. But what shocked him even more was Roy's shrug, a gentle smile crossing his face as he looked more content than he had in years.

"Honestly?" Roy questioned lightly, his lips twitching when he felt Ed's hand tighten in his, "Nothing could tear me from his side."

Al put away all his jokes about the statement and chose to keep his mouth shut, pinching his lips tight. He would glance over once in a while, but he always had to look away, lest he wanted his blush to burn off his face at the blatant out of character show he was getting from the Major General. He's always thought of the man as stoic and crude, sticking to the point and commanding with an iron fist. Guess love can do that to someone.

* * *

><p>"No!" Giovanni struggled against the arms holding him down, frantically trying to wiggle and wrench from the other's grasp, despite the fact he was weak and missing some limbs. He wouldn't stay in this room any longer, he needed to get out, these tormentors would hold him no longer in this solitary confinement.<p>

Mika merely sighed, continuing to hold onto the back of the boy's shirt, every once in a while tugging on it to make the boy come a bit closer. He was amazed at the way Giovanni managed to make everything so much more dramatic, especially with the yells and screams of disapproval. If it were any other day, Mika would let Gio wiggle around on the ground for all he cared, but he knew that a certain teacher of the boy's would be arriving in no more than fifteen minutes.

Smirking again as Giovanni tried to swat away his hand, he realized that Giovanni should be scared.

"Come on, Mika!" Giovanni whined, slumping forward in his seat and glancing over his shoulder at the man, trying to give his most pitiful look he could muster, "Teacher is going to kill me."

"Yes, well, that may be true." Tilting his head to the side and musing on the subject, Mika merely shrugged, "And you're going to stay here and let him do it."

Giovanni's eyes went from pleading to terror, widening in pure fright at the other's words and tone. Would Edward really kill him? Sure, he did perform human transmutation on him while he was unconscious, the one sin of the alchemic world, almost causing both of them to lose their lives, only to have Edward kidnapped immediately after by the people that wanted Ed's alchemy that Gio gave back to him...Oh, god, teacher really was going to kill him!

Struggling harder, Giovanni whined and pulled, trying to wheel around and strike Mika with fists at every chance he got, "Let me go! I'm too young to die! I have a full life ahead of myself! Show some mercy!"

"Oh, I am." Mika laughed, slumping forward amusedly as he cradled his chin in a hand, showing no effort at all to hold the boy back, "Think of what he'd do if he figured out you ran from him?"

Giovanni didn't even want to think of it. He didn't know what was better, taking the brunt of Edward's anger right now, or run and take the gamble that either his teacher had calmed in that time or become that much more infuriated.

There was a gentle knock at the door, soft enough that both of them barely heard it, but at the same time it froze them both. The person behind the door didn't bother to wait for an answer to it's knock, and rather opened the door with a slow precision. Air around them stilled, and a dark force moved from beyond the door, slowly seeping in like the depths of the night, anger and ice cold frustration seeping around the edges of the room.

A glint of golden hair fell around the malicious man's shoulders, making Mika immediately let go of the boy's shirt and stand, taking a few steps back into the corner. He could do nothing for the boy now.

There was a steady rhythmic tapping of a bare foot than metal on the ground, taking slow and methodical steps forward as he neared the bed. Sweat pooled on the back of Giovanni's neck as he watched the form near the bed, his eyes widening in pure terror. He was getting ready to scream for mercy when he was cut off by that voice.

"Gio...vanni..." Edward clenched his hands together and finally met the boy's eyes, his teeth glinting in the light as he smirked maliciously, his brows twitching.

Lunging forward, he raised a single hand, smacking the boy upside the head, "What the hell were you thinking!"

"Teacher, wait!" Giovanni didn't get a word in edgewise as Edward grabbed him by the forearm, nearly failing him about as he let loose his anger.

"You performed human transmutation!" Edward seethed, making sure the boy couldn't break eye-contact, making sure the boy knew how angry he was, "And not only that, you performed it on _me. _What in the hell were you thinking, what could have possibly gone through your mind!"

He wasn't going to hit the boy, much like his teacher had done with him, but he was more than tempted. He wanted to hit the kid until he couldn't think straight, he wanted to pound it into that little brain of his that this was not forgivable, this would forever be on his conscience. This wasn't something you could say a simple 'I'm sorry' too, this wasn't something erasable, this was indefinite.

But, Edward remembered with a simple sigh, he had done the same thing.

"This is something that I can never forgive you for." Edward stated with a sigh, letting go of the boy before he inflicted any damage, and took a single step backward, looking deep into the other's green eyes, "I hope you know that your life is never going to be the same. You've taken this responsibility onto your shoulders."

The words of never having forgiveness struck Giovanni more than he'd like to admit, and his hands shook as he stood terrified in the wrath of his teacher, more afraid of this calm Edward than the angry and screaming one.

"You performed human transmutation." Edward repeated again, sighing and dipping his head, "you don't only have me to answer to, but yourself. What was my first lesson, Giovanni? Respect alchemy; and you didn't. You spat in it's face, and mine. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Giovanni couldn't breathe, none the less speak. He was terrified, but more so, terrified that Edward would truly hate him forever. He still loved Edward, more than he'd loved anything before, he wanted to always be around him, he didn't know what he'd do if Edward didn't even want to look at him. He gulped, clenching his hands and taking a deep breath, "I told you I loved you, right?"

Edward was shocked at the admission, half hoping that the declaration of love before in the storage room had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, and that neither of them would ever think about it ever again.

"I would do anything for you Edward, even if it means going against your own words." Giovanni sighed, failing to keep his voice steady as he stuttered and paused in his words, "You were miserable without your alchemy. I couldn't stand seeing you so miserable, so unhappy, so sad. I needed to give you back the thing that would make you happy."

Edward laughed, shaking his head and feeling his nerves calm. He much preferred the truth than to a lie, even if the truth wasn't quite what he wanted to hear. It was a blow to his pride if even a thirteen-year-old boy could tell how unhappy he'd been, "But, you misunderstood, Giovanni. It wasn't simply alchemy that was making me so unhappy. Sure, I missed it, but it was just another peg on the infinite list of things that was making me unhappy."

Giovanni felt his heart clench at that, already devising more plans in his mind to find those other pegs on the 'list' and disposing of them.

Seeing the look in Gio's eyes, Edward merely strode forward and took a seat next to the boy, the soft mattress shifting as he sat. Sure, he didn't want to go explaining himself to the kid, not just yet, but Gio did deserve to know, "It was everything. The injuries, my brother, Roy...the list goes on. Were you planning on fixing every single one of those?"

Giovanni gulped and felt his cheeks alight, shaking his head ashamedly as he looked down at his hands, feeling his shoulders start to shake. He was stupid, that was true, but why couldn't his teacher see that he'd just been trying to help? Sure, he didn't think it through all the way, but he'd been so preoccupied with the image he'd created of Edward's smile when he got his alchemy back. He'd wanted Edward to be happy.

"But." Edward sighed and slowly slung an arm around the boy's shoulder, pulling him to his side, "Somehow, it seems that after your little act, everything that was making me unhappy was fading away. I'm not forgiving you, but I won't yell at you."

Giovanni felt his eyes swell, his chest wrenching as he let out a small sob, before twisting and collapsing into Edward's side, holding him tightly. Edward wasn't leaving. He was going to stay, and to top it all off, here he was, comforting him. Sure, he knew what he'd done was wrong, but Giovanni couldn't bring himself to regret it.

"Just promise me this." Edward sighed as he placed his hand atop the boy's head, rubbing down comfortingly, "You will get automail, and you will forever use it as a reminder of what you did."

The moments passed, and Ed allowed the boy to sob on his shoulder, holding him softly and comforting him for the time being. Be it for the fact that Gio's life would be infinitely harder from now on, or that he saw a bit of himself in the young boy, he didn't know. The kid would be getting years upon years of berating for his action, so he didn't need any more of it from Edward.

"So." Edward tried to break the mood, smirking unintentionally as he looked down at his young protege, raising a single brow, "Man, you lost one of your legs way up there. Is your junk gone, too?"

"Teacher!" Giovanni gaped as his cheeks enflamed, eyes widening at the question, fuming still as Edward jumped up and practically pranced from the room, his laughter following him out.

* * *

><p>"Did you guys have a nice chat?"<p>

Edward glanced over minutely as he let the door close softly behind him, smiling when he saw his dark-haired lover leaning languidly against the wall near the water fountain, his military uniform jacket slung over one arm and his white undershirt unbuttoned at the top. He looked drained, tired, yet sated and happy. They both needed a long sleep, preferably soon, but Edward had needed to go see Giovanni first. Roy hadn't argued, just as long as Edward promised to go to sleep afterwards, for a long time, preferably in the same bed as himself.

"I guess." Edward sighed, his metal foot ticking with every step as he made his way over to Roy, sliding a hand over the man's hip and leaning in against him, letting out a long held breath, "It was weird. When I told my teacher I performed human transmutation, she beat me half to death. I barely laid a hand on Giovanni."

Roy shrugged, letting out his own breath of relief, pleased to know that the boy wasn't dead in there, "You and your teacher are different people Edward, you teach differently and treat your pupils differently."

"Glad to hear." Edward snorted, shaking his head, "But - I looked into his eyes. I could see that no matter what I did, no matter what I said, he wouldn't regret it. I could beat him, scream at him or scorn him, but he would never regret it."

"Hm. His stubbornness sounds like someone I know." Roy mused, raising his brows and glancing down at the blonde, clenching an arm around Edward's shoulder.

Edward didn't reply, merely snorted again, shrugging at the reality. He'd known from the beginning that Giovanni was a strong and determined boy, and nothing would get in the way of what he wanted. After everything, he would never regret anything he did.

God, it really did sound a lot like him.

"Sleep now?" Ed asked, already half asleep as he pressed against the other, resting his head on Roy's strong shoulder and feeling more comfortable than he had in quite a while. Surrounded and wanted, like Roy was purely enjoying his presence. When he was with Roy, he felt a freedom he hadn't felt in years, not to mention the past few weeks cooped up in this stinking hospital. Being with Roy made it feel like he could breathe again, whereas the hospital was the crushing force keeping him from taking any air. And now, he just wanted to sleep. Sleep in this warmth and freedom and let the whole world fade away, hoping that when he woke, the warmth would still be around him.

Yet, unfortunately, the world seemed to have a deep need to make Edward's life suck.

"Edward!"

There was already a deep glare on his face before the other managed to end the word, and his arms tightened around Roy as he swiveled his head, unintentionally sending the man strutting down the hall a seething glare. It was completely unintentional on his part, but if questioned about it, he'd blame sleep deprivation and a deep seeded annoyance at everything in general.

Scar seemed unperturbed about it, though, as he continued to strut down the hallway as if he wasn't just on the receiving end of a infamous 'Fullmetal Glare', for he'd had the pleasure of taking that glare on more than one occasion. He slowed his gait when he neared the couple, even more unperturbed by the obvious closeness of the two, not even batting an eye at their embrace and obvious affection. He barely let a twitch of the lips show his pleasure at seeing Edward in one piece, though he'd never admit it aloud, "Edward, it is a pleasure to see you well."

"Yeah, well, not quite, but I'll manage." It warmed him to see Scar so worried, but really, he wanted to do nothing more than sleep, and right now, this man was interrupting that, "How did you hear about me?"

"Well, Brigadier General Armstrong called me about the situation, sounding quite upset," Scar mused, realizing now that his haste in getting to Central had been in vein, but felt no regret at it.

Ed sighed, noting with amusement as a head peeked out of Giovanni's hospital room behind where Scar was standing, revealing the light brown hair of Mika as he curiously peeked in on their conversation. Turning his gaze back to Scar, he smiled for the man, "Yes, Armstrong does tend to exaggerate quite a bit. I wouldn't be surprised if he went as far as saying all was lost and I would never be returned."

"Something along those lines." Scar spoke lightly, taking a single step forward and regarding Roy with a respectful dip of his head, though his eyes hardened considerably, "Mustang, what room shall you two be staying in? I would much like to speak with both you and Edward. We have quite a bit to catch up on, Edward."

Ed could have groaned, turning his face into Roy's chest again and closing his eyes, willing the other man to leave. All he wanted to do was fall into a bed and sleep for the next twenty-four hours, and yes, Scar was a good friend, but Ed really didn't want to talk to him right now.

"Edward?"

Ed flinched at the sound of Mika's voice, realizing that the man had now come fully from his hiding spot to regard the two, a soft click announcing that he had closed the door to the room. Was everyone plotting to keep Edward from sleep?

"Just wanted you to know that..." Mika paused just a bit as the man standing between him and Edward turned to regard him, making Mika catch a glimpse of haunting scar and deep red eyes, looking at him with such intensity that Mika just wanted to crawl back into the hospital room and hide under Giovanni's bed. Gulping, he offered a smile, "H-hello...I'm Mika Orken, you're...?"

"Scar, a friend of Edward's from Ishval." Scar answered with a bemused rase of a brow, just barely catching the thin line of a flush over the man's cheeks, making him purse his lips in bemusement.

This whole exchange was witnessed by a wild-eyes Edward Elric, who's eyes had slowly started to squint with every word the other's spoke, his smile growing and growing, nearing the point of lecherous. Well, this was quite the interesting development, a plot twist if he didn't say so himself. A fascinating, interesting, and quite intriguing plot twist.

Not to mention, a plot twist that would get him into bed and asleep.

Slowly pushing Roy further down the hall, Ed reached and slowly turned the knob on the door nearest to them, remembering having heard someone mention that it was his assigned room. He really didn't care if it wasn't his room, all he needed was to get out of this hallway. Pushing Roy quickly into the room, Ed closed the door and locked it in one swift motion, before searching the bare room.

There was a beacon of light, shining around the bed stationed in the middle of the hospital room, the covers slightly pulled back and the pillows fluffed to perfection. He could have drooled at the sight of it, practically giddy at all the sleep he was gonna get.

Roy, on the other hand, merely rolled his eyes as he guided Edward to the bed, the soft room looking more than inviting. As he lowered his lover to the bed, he himself slipped in and threw the thin sheet and blanket over their bodies. He almost grunted as Edward attached to him, throwing a leg over his and wrapping his arms tightly around Roy's middle, burrowing in and preparing himself for the best goddamn sleep of his life.

"Edward..." Roy whispered lightly as he lowered his cheek to the pillow, wrapping his arms around the alchemist's middle, "Edward...?"

A tired murmur answered him and he could have chuckled. His eyes slipped closed and he almost let himself fall into the sleep that was slowly edging into his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>I REALLY apologize for the super short final chapter. I felt like this was a good point to leave it off at. I know that you all were expecting a lot of EdXRoy luvins, but just wait, that's what the Epilogue is for! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! I love all of the positive feedback I've received. AND - I'm already thinking of ideas for a sequel, so if enough of you are so inclined, I could be enticed to start on that... :)<strong>


	11. Finis

**I'm really sorry this took so long! :( I've been trying to decide what I wanted to include in the Epilogue and what to include in the sequel - because there IS going to be one! I already came up with a plot and everything! :)**

* * *

><p>Things had happened quite quickly after then, a series of events that Edward hadn't quite been all present too. He'd heard some by word of mouth, and seen some from his hospital bed.<p>

The thin treaty between Aerugo and Central had been quickly dissipated, and there had been military personnel and troops surrounding the border for weeks, though Aerugo didn't move to attack due to the lack of a leader. They were too busy working out a new one to go against Central.

During this time, they all knew that no one had found Irving. They didn't know if he went into hiding to heal his own wounds before going back to his country, or if he was pulled away by his soldiers at the last moment. All they knew, he was nowhere to be seen, and no matter how much they searched, they found head nor tail of him. Roy didn't like talking about it, as it left an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, like when you tried to squish a spider and didn't quite know if it was dead or not.

Edward had been in the hospital for another two months, seeing as he added to the injuries he already had. When he was finally able to walk away, Giovanni had been gone. Edward had told the boy that he had nothing more to teach him, that he was welcome to stay, but they would no longer be student and teacher. Gio was gone, but Edward knew that he was off to better things.

Mika, on the other hand, had immediately gone off to help Ishval, though Edward had a strong inkling that his need to help others had been slightly fueled by his want to follow Scar. It was a strange relationship that Edward hadn't witnessed a lot of, but he knew that somehow it would work.

Edward, on the other hand, found himself once again sitting on the single most uncomfortable train seat on the planet as it jostled from side to side, "why is it that I always seem to get the most uncomfortable seat on the train."

"All the seats are the same, Edward." Roy mused happily, reaching to the side and letting his hand rest on Ed's thigh, shaking it playfully.

Ed snorted, shifting his feet over the wood of the ground, "Yeah, well, that I don't believe."

Roy mused further, moving his hand from Ed's thigh to wrap it around the man's waist, resting it against Ed's hip and tightening his fingers, "So, no more Ishval for you?"

"I think I'm going to have nightmares of falling rocks." Edward snorted, not bothering to shrug off the Major General's hand, knowing that Roy would just latch back on afterwards, "So no, I doubt they could use my help there."

"So you decided to come with me?" Roy mused, raising a single brow and looking down at Ed, "How is that a path to becoming any more useful?"

"Shut up." Edward growled, sending a sharp glare towards the other and jabbing him softly in the side, knowing that the grunt Roy gave was a fake one.

Roy grunted as he felt Edward's elbow jab into his side, his not-so-fake grunt of pain slowly fading to a smile as he felt Ed's hand come to a rest on his knee, "Thank you, Edward. For coming with me."

"Hey. I've spent too much time away from you to say no." Ed said rather bluntly, shifting over and resting his head on Roy's shoulder.

Roy's chest constricted at this, his arm tightening on Edward and pulling him closer.

Alphonse had gone back to Risembool with Winry and Pinako. The tension between Winry and Edward hadn't calmed in the slightest, and it had been just as fiery as ever when she'd come to check on her grandmother, and he could still hear her screams at Al as she demanded to know what was going on. He didn't quite know what would happen between them, but he knew that his and Al's relationship would be much better. They would be talking, they would be writing, and more than anything, they would be brother's again.

This alone brought a smile to Edward's face. He and Al had parted ways with plans already to meet up so that Ed could meet Hohenheim. Ed's chest constricted in happiness.

"Excited to be recognized as an uncle?" Roy mused, almost as if reading Edward's mind as he leaned his head on Edward's.

Edward snorted, shrugging, "More excited to be back on good terms with Alphonse."

"Hm." Roy mused. The train car was lit with the soft light of the sun setting, casting a soft glow off the wood and giving them all the soft want to snooze and doze into sleep. Having Edward with him here was the only thing he could possibly want at that moment, and although he had work to look forward to in the next couple days, he knew that nothing could ruin this moment.

"Move in with me?"

Edward gulped, eyes widening as he physically pulled himself away to look at the other, raising his brows nearly to his hairline as he looked at he other, his mouth gaping open, "Pardon?"

"Move in with me." Mustang's eyes held no amusement or lie, his voice truthful and his eyes determined as he asked again, "I can't imagine going home and not having you there."

"Um..." Edward raised a single brow, coughing and shifting his eyes around, "I was already going to...? I mean, I didn't have anywhere to stay once I got to central and you know..."

Roy took his turn raising his brows and widening his eyes, his chest lightening and heart thumping painfully. With a quick movement, he reached forward and pulled the other closer to him, pressing their lips together quickly.

Yeah, nothing could ruin this moment. Especially when Ed boldly climbed onto his lap, straddling him and wrapping his arms tightly around Roy's neck, completely ignoring the gawking looks they received from the other occupants of the train car.

For once in three years, Edward felt as though he truly belonged somewhere. Everything was right with the world, he was a family again with his brother, and he was in the arms of the man he loved. If you had told Edward four years ago that he was going to be making out with Roy Mustang in the middle of a train, with a new alchemically bonded leg that would last him years, and a teaching experience under his belt, he would have laughed at you then proceeded to punch you in the face.

He belonged here, and he felt one hundred percent at ease. Who knew all it took to feel like this was to get critically injured then kidnapped by a bordering country?

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><p><strong>Again, sorry about it being so late with this, and sorry about it being so short, but I didn't want to give any more away so I could write a sequel. Like I said, there IS going to be a sequel, but I don't quite know when that is going to happen. I'm already ten pages in, so don't worry, it IS happening, but I want to get a couple chapters in before I post it so I won't have you guys waiting for late updates again. So, look forward to it, I hope it will be just as good if not better than this one! Thank you all for reading this fic, and I LOVED all the positive feedback I got! I'm so excited, thank you so much!<strong>


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